Communication Skills
by DaughterOfPoseidon333
Summary: Set after 4x24. Deeks and Sam have been taken and Kensi is trying to not make the case personal. But it's hard when all she can think about is Deeks' attempt at communication. As Kensi, Callen, and the rest of the team delve deeper into their mission to rescue their missing agents, Kensi finds that maybe she's okay making it personal. Densi. Callen/Kensi friendship.
1. Chapter 1

**Hi all! So this is my first NCIS L.A. fic, so I want to let you guys know that constructive criticism is welcome. **

**Second, how 'bout that finale, huh? I've re-watched it several times and it gets better and worse each time. The episode itself was awesome (especially that Densi kiss), the ending…not so much. I hate hiatus.**

**So this story is set after the finale. I know there's like a billion of these already, but I hope you like it nonetheless. It'll be 10 chapters, just so you know. **

**There will be lots of Densi, there will be some Callen and Kensi **_**friendship **_**moments. Purely friendship. And though it will revolve around Kensi and Deeks, the rest of the team will be present in the story.**

**I don't own NCIS L.A. or anything associated with it.**

**Enjoy!**

Chapter 1

As Kensi raced up her 26th flight of stairs, it was almost easy to forget about the kiss Deeks had shut her up with not twenty minutes before. Adrenaline coursed through her veins, pumping her legs up the stairs, two steps at a time. She knew something had gone wrong the second the two Russian girls had taken Michelle up the elevator. Kensi burst out onto the unfinished 30th floor of the building, SIG Sauer held out in front of her, eyes scanning for the Russian girls or Michelle. As she crept around boxes and construction supplies, she heard the sounds of struggle: grunts of pain, metal ringing against metal, cries of protest, and then the sound of wood snapping like bone. Kensi came around a corner, saw the two Russians, and instantly fired, just missing both.

"Michelle!" she shouted, not seeing Sam's wife.

Kensi swung her head. The two Russians were quickly making their way towards the elevator, the blonde one hobbling slower than the brunette.

"Michelle, hang on!" Kensi shouted, hoping the CIA agent had heard.

Kensi darted after the girls, raising her gun. The blonde, being closer to her, and slower with injuries, was an easy target. _"Bring me at least one of the Russians alive," _Granger's voice echoed in her head. Kensi lowered her gun just slightly, so instead of a kill shot, she fired into the girl's calf, sending her crashing to the ground with a cry of pain. As Kensi predicted, the brunette turned briefly as her partner fell to the ground, giving Kensi the split second she needed to fire into the girl's chest. After all, they only needed one alive.

Kensi raced over and handcuffed the blonde with zip ties to a metal rod drilled into a concrete column. Unoccupied with the Russians, Kensi started scanning the area for Michelle once again.

"Michelle?" she cried out.

Over the roar of the wind through the unfinished windows, Kensi thought she heard a shout in response. Kensi turned frantically, trying to pinpoint where the sound had come from. She froze, her vision zooming in on splintered wood that had barricaded one of the windows. Kensi sprinted over to the open window and glanced down. The city spun sickeningly far below her. But that wasn't all she saw. Hanging precariously half-way down a plastic tarp that was snagged on the building, was Sam's wife.

"Michelle!" relief flooded her voice at the fact that Michelle was alive. But not for much longer if she didn't hurry. Kensi could see the strain on Michelle's face as she gripped the plastic sheeting.

Kensi spotted a ladder reaching down the side of the building, ending—almost miraculously—where the plastic tarp started. Kensi holstered her gun and swung a leg over the remainder of the wood that blocked the open space. She moved quickly down the rungs till she hit the bottom. She situated herself on the bottom rung, wrapping her legs around on of the side bars of the ladder. Momentarily keeping one hand on the ladder, Kensi reached down towards the plastic tarp, gripping it tight in one fist.

She heaved the tarp, feeling her muscles strain. Realizing she wouldn't be able to lift with just one hand, she wrapped her legs even tighter around the ladder, really wishing that she had a rope to anchor her to the building. Kensi leaned down slowly, her dark hair coming out of its bun in the wind. With both hands, Kensi pulled the sheet up, inch by agonizing inch. The second Michelle was within reach, Kensi grabbed the ladder again and grabbed Michelle's wrist with the other. The other woman wrapped her hand around Kensi's wrist in turn and Kensi pulled her up until she could grab onto the ladder herself.

Once they climbed back up the ladder, they exchanged a look. There were no words—which Kensi didn't mind—but she knew that Michelle was thanking her. Kensi let out a breath, her heart still racing, her muscles burned slightly, but it wasn't a bad burn. She started walking over to the column where she had secured the blonde, pulling out her gun just in case. As they approached, the blonde girl glared at them, pure hatred in her eyes. Kensi handed Michelle her gun, who in turn, aimed it at the girl's head. Kensi lifted a hand up to the com in her ear.

"Eric?" Kensi spoke aloud, waiting for the analyst to respond.

There was a short burst of static. "Kensi, what do you need? You're both okay, right?"

Kensi thought she detected a note of…_something _in Eric's voice. Fear? Anxiety? She couldn't pinpoint it so she shrugged it off for the moment being.

"We're fine. Both of us. We've got the blonde in custody. We're gonna take her back to the boatshed. Tell Callen to meet us there." Kensi responded.

"He's already there," there it was again, that slight hitch in his voice. "What about the other girl, Veronica?"

"Tell the MEs to bring a body bag."

Twenty minutes later Kensi marched into the boatshed with Michelle, Russian girl in tow. Silence was the only thing to greet them.

"Callen?" Kensi called out. Nothing. "Callen?"

She was about to call out for a third time, but then he appeared from the shadows of the hallway leading back to their interrogation rooms.

"Hey, we got…" her voice faltered and she trailed off as she took in the expression on Callen's face.

Not taking her eyes of Callen, Kensi addressed the CIA agent at her side. "Hey, Michelle, could you take her back to one of the rooms?"

"Sure," Michelle replied, looking between the two of them, but not asking any questions. As Michelle moved past Callen, Kensi approached him.

"Callen, what happened?" Kensi asked, but it came out as more of a demand. He refused to look her in the eye, his jaw clenched.

"Come on, Callen. I'm supposed to be the stubborn one, remember?" she said softer, trying to smooth the frustration out of her voice. "Something happened, what was it?"

Silence.

"Where's Janvier?" she asked, approaching the situation from a different angle. Plus she had a gut feeling that Janvier was attributed to whatever Callen was so furious about.

She waited, watching Callen's face as he contemplated answering her. Finally, he gave in.

"He's in the other interrogation room," Callen responded. "A little beat up. Possibly has a broken nose. But otherwise he's fine. For now, anyway."

Kensi blinked. "Broken nose? What…how-?"

"Her question was cut off as Michelle walked back into the main room of the boatshed. Before Kensi could finish questioning Callen, he started walking towards the exit, so she—and a confused looking Michelle—had no choice but to follow. When they walked outside, the sunlight momentarily blinding, Callen nodded to several agents standing by the building. They nodded back and headed inside, no doubt to watch over their prisoners.

"Come on, they want us in OPS, now." Callen explained as the three of them climbed into his car and sped off.

When Kensi walked into OPS—followed by Callen and Michelle—the grave looks on everyone's faces only confirmed her gut feeling that something had gone terribly wrong in the op.

"What happened?" she asked for what felt like the millioneth time that day.

When nobody spoke, Kensi looked at everyone in turn, hoping her glare would eek an answer out of someone. Eric and Nell had matching expressions of fear, worry, and maybe a little guilt. Michelle looked just as confused as she was. Callen had mostly the same expression as at the boatshed, but his eyes also searched the room, and Kensi thought that maybe he only knew half of what was going on. Kensi didn't even bother looking at Granger because she knew he wouldn't tell her anything. That left one person.

"Hetty?" Kensi asked the small woman.

Hetty's expression didn't give anything away as she folded her hands behind her back. Hetty took a deep breath and looked at her, Callen, and Michelle. The air seemed to hold still, like the calm before the storm.

"It has been fifty-seven minutes since we lost all electronic communication with Mr. Hanna and Mr. Deeks."

** So that's the first chapter for you guys!**

** Hope you liked it! Remember to review, and constructive criticism is totally welcome! Anyway I can make it better, just tell me. And if you guys spot any stupid typos, you can tell me. I don't always catch them while proofreading. I should have the next chapter up soon, within the next week, at least.**

** Thanks for reading!**

** -DaughterOfPoseidon333**


	2. Chapter 2

**I just want to start off by thanking everybody who has reviewed, favorited, and followed this story so far! Your support means so much to me!**

**There will be some more Kensi/Callen friendship in this chapter, just so you guys know =)**

**I don't own NCIS L.A.**

**Enjoy!**

Chapter 2

"Kensi-"

"No."

"Kens-"

"No, Callen." Kensi told him for the billionth time.

It had been a couple hours since Hetty and briefed her, Callen, and Michelle on what had happened. Sam's cover had been blown—by Janvier, Callen explained to her and Michelle—so Deeks went in to save him when Sidorov and his men attempted to drown him. Then, after saving Sam, they had both been taken and god only knew where they were now. And Kensi knew in her heart that Sidorov hadn't had them killed then and there because he needed information. Information that could only be brought out through torture. The second that happy thought made its way into her brain, she had stormed out of OPS and down to the armory. She had started with target practice, using up each and every paper target to vent her anger and frustration.

Then Callen came down, and he had been nagging her ever since to go home.

"Kensi, just hear me out, okay?" Callen tired again.

She looked at him. She took in the bags under his eyes, the tired and drawn expression on his face, and she instantly felt guilty because he was going through the exact same thing he was. His partner was missing, too. And not just his partner, Sam was his best friend. Callen would be crushed, devastated if anything happened to Sam. Holding onto that common ground, Kensi nodded, signaling for Callen to continue.

"Kensi…I get it, okay? I wanna get them back, too. But you're no good to me—you're no good to them—if you're sleep-deprived and crabby because you haven't eaten anything all day." He said, giving her a knowing look, which she responded to with a glower in his direction.

She folded her arms across her chest, refusing to answer because a part of her knew he was right. But being as stubborn as she was, she still continued to argue.

"I don't want to go home. And not just that, I _can't _go home, G. I need to be here. I'll be fine. There's a couch upstairs," she told him.

It was the truth. She couldn't go home. Not now. She needed to be there if they found something on Deeks. _And Sam, _she quickly admonished her thoughts.

Callen sighed. "I get that, Kens, but you're burnt out. As team leader, I'm ordering you to go home."

"Order me around or not, you still can't _make _me go home," she felt like a five-year-old saying in, but she wasn't leaving. She'd break his nose if he tried to carry her out of there.

"No, I can't," he admitted. "But Hetty can."

"You wouldn't dare." She practically growled, glaring at him.

"Oh, wouldn't I?" he smirked. The smile didn't last long, though, and she knew he was, no doubt, worrying about their missing partners. "Go home, Kensi." He said softly.

Her resolve broke. She _was _tired. Maybe going home, taking a hot bath, and downing a tub of double-chocolate ice cream would help to take her mind off things. She doubted it, but it was worth a shot.

"Fine. But if _anything _happens—"

"You'll be the first to know. Promise."

-:-:-:-:-:-:-

Kensi made it to her driveway before the reality of the situation really hit her. The whole drive home she had turned the speakers up till her car vibrated with the bass and it felt like her eardrums would burst. The music helped her focus on anything but her kidnapped colleagues. But the second she cut the engine, the second there was no music to distract her, she almost lost it. The only thing she could think about was that the last thing she said to Deeks had been,_ "I've got to stay with Michelle"._ Then she had driven off, and now he was gone. Kensi hit the steering wheel in frustration when she felt tears burn behind her eyes. But she refused to let them fall. She was Kensi—freakin'—Blye. And Kensi—freakin'—Blye didn't cry. She _refused _to show any sign of weakness like that.

_I will not cry I will not cry I will not cry, _she chanted in her head. Over and over and over. _I will not cry I will not cry I will not cry. _And she didn't. Numb, Kensi climbed out of her car and went to unlock her door, stepping inside her dark house and shutting the door quietly behind her. She flipped on the lights. As she looked around at the dirty cups, empty beer bottles, and junk food wrappers, she felt like something was missing, even though nothing was. It was strange. She realize that home didn't quite feel lie home at the moment. _That's because home is where Deeks is. Home is when Deeks is safe and by your side, _a mutinous little part of her brain thought. Involuntarily, she reached a hand up and brushed her fingers against her lips. She closed her eyes and the moment when Deeks kissed her replayed behind her lids.

One minute she had been berating him for his communication skills—or lack thereof—and seconds later, his mouth was on hers. She remembered the feeling of absolute warmth and security that had fallen over her when his lips, so soft and so gentle, and pressed against hers. Even when he broke away, his blue eyes gazing into hers, that warm fuzzy feeling remained. His voice rang out in her mind_—"How's that for communication?"—_and Kensi opened her eyes slowly. The ghost of his kiss danced on her lips, and she knew it would haunt her until he—and Sam—were safe.

Kensi felt a single tear slip down her cheek and she immediately wiped it away angrily. It wasn't like there was anyone here to see her cry, but she hated the fact that she had anyway. She was stronger than that. And she definitely couldn't afford to be weak. Not when Deeks need her to be strong. But, she realized, even the strong needed rest.

The first thing she did was shower. After running around all day, she needed it. She quickly washed her hair, body, and face, then simply stood under the torrent of water for far too long. But the water was helping to ease _some _of the tension in her muscles and made her realize how tired she actually was. Finally deciding it was time to stop hiking up her water bill, she shut the water off and climbed out, wrapping herself in a towel. She padded to her bedroom and started rummaging through her monstrous pile of dirty clothes, trying to find a clean shirt. She turned to her dresser and looked there.

She was about to give up hope of finding anything even remotely clean, when in the corner of her bottom drawer, she spotted a fresh t-shirt. And it wasn't even hers. She recognized it as being one that Deeks had 'accidentally' left after one of their regular movie nights. She lifted the shirt to her nose, inhaling its scent. It still smelled like Deeks, even after being buried in her dresser drawer. The ocean, the beach, that's what it smelled like. That's what he smelled like. Kensi smiled as she slipped it over her head, loving the way it hit her mid-thigh. She pulled on underwear and sleep shorts, then went to hang up her towel.

As she passed the kitchen on her way back to her bedroom, she eyed the freezer longingly. She knew she still had ice cream in there. The thought of creamy-chocolaty deliciousness made her will-power crumble. She grabbed the ice cream, the biggest spoon she could find, then plopped down on her couch and dug in. Surprisingly, she didn't even eat that much. But when she felt her eyelids getting heavy, she decided she'd rather fall asleep on her bed than have her face fall into a tub of ice cream. Kensi put the ice cream away and made her way back to her bed. She curled up under the covers and let sleep take her.

-:-:-:-:-:-

Kensi bolted upright in bed, the remainders of her nightmare clinging to her mind like cobwebs. She couldn't remember everything about her dream, but she knew it had had something to do with Deeks and sharp instruments. Sighing, she looked over at her alarm clock. 11:09. Great. She had only slept for an hour. She knew there was no way she'd be able to fall asleep easily now. Not when she remembered that Deeks was out there somewhere in Los Angeles, getting poked and prodded for answers he would never give up. The thought made it hard to breath. She needed fresh air. Kensi walked out her door and nearly had a heart attack when she saw Callen sitting outside her door.

"Callen? What the hell are you doing here?" she hissed.

He smirked. "Sorry. I probably should've told you I was here. Didn't want to wake you. But I see that you got about as much sleep as me."

She sat down beside him, enjoying the light breeze that was fluttering through the air. The street lamps provided their only source of illumination.

"Yeah, I couldn't sleep." She admitted. "You still haven't told me what you're doing here. I thought you were at the office?"

"Well, I was. Until Hetty kicked me out." He looked a little sheepish, but Kensi laughed a little. Even Callen wouldn't dare defy a direct order from Hetty.

"I don't know," Callen started, rubbing his hands over his face. "I needed to go for a walk, and I just sort of ended up here. Thought you could use some company, too."

"Yeah, I could actually. Thanks for that." She said earnestly. Callen had always been like a brother to her, and she found it easy to be around him. He was comfortable talking with her, but they were also both comfortable sitting in each other's silent company.

"You as worried as I am?" she whispered.

"Yeah. Believe me, if I could go back, before Janvier gave up Sam and change it, I would." Callen said, and Kensi knew he felt guilty about that.

"It's not your fault, G. You couldn't have predicted what Janvier was gonna do. None of us could have."

"I know," he sighed. "But it's not your fault either. I know you feel bad that you weren't there to back up Deeks and Sam, but if you hadn't gone to help Michelle, she'd probably be dead, Kens. You know that, don't you?"

Kensi pondered that for a moment. Callen was right, of course, she did feel guilty for not backing Deeks up when Sidorov tried to drown Sam. But she also knew that if she and Deeks had managed to get Sam out of there, and let Michelle die in the process, Sam never would've forgiven them.

"Yeah, I know that." She finally said.

They were silent for a few minutes, even though it felt like hours.

"Something else, Kens…" Callen trailed off, and when she looked at him, he looked slightly embarrassed.

"Yeah?" she asked cautiously.

"This case…it's really important. Hetty and Granger, they, of course, want Sam and Deeks back, but they also want this case wrapped up. We need to get those nukes, get Sidorov-"

"Get to the point, G," she interrupted, knowing that he was skirting around what he wanted to tell her.

He took a deep breath. "I need to know that you'll have my back. I need to know that you can get your head in the game."

"You know I can," she said, puzzled.

"Can you make it not personal?" Callen asked quietly.

"Why would I make it personal?" she asked, though she had a feeling she knew why he was asking.

"You know why, Kens," he said. Still, she refused to answer. "You know, Kensi, you're too smart to play dumb. All of our coms were on. Plus, Eric and Nell had eyes on all of us, Kens."

Kensi felt a blush creep up her neck and rise to her cheeks, making her very grateful for the mostly-darkness around them. So they knew. They knew that Deeks had kissed her and that she didn't stop him. She tried to tell herself it was no big deal, but it was. That had been a private moment, and even though she knew it was important to keep their coms on, she still felt like the moment had been a little ruined.

"Look, I'm not gonna ask, it's not my place to worry about what you do in your free time-" Callen said politely.

"There's nothing going on." she interrupted. "Sorry. Continue,"

Callen gave her a half-smile. "Anyway, it _is _my place, however, to make sure that the mission comes first. I hate it, too, but we have to put the mission first. Of course, the mission right now is to get Sam and Deeks back. So I have to ask, can you make this non-personal?"

"Yes," Kensi said, and she would do her damndest to live up to that. She knew that if she made it too personal, Hetty would take her off the case, and she _had _to be on the case. She didn't wasn't them putting some agent she didn't even know in charge of her partner's life.

"Okay," Callen said.

"Okay," she echoed, smiling.

"So what do you say we go get our partners back?"

**Okay, so I know these chapters aren't super long, but I hope you guys liked it nonetheless!**

**So I just want to thank everybody again for all the support, you guys are awesome!**

**Next chapter will be all about Sam and Deeks and what's going on with them, so prepare yourselves!**

**Don't forget to tell me what you think! Am I in character? Anything you really liked? Didn't like? Anything you think I should change, let me know.**

**Thanks for reading!**

**-DaughterOfPoseidon333**


	3. Chapter 3

**Well, I'm just gonna start by saying how awesome you all are! Seriously, your follows, and favorites, and reviews make my day! So thank you!**

**So this chapter, we'll see what's been going on with Deeks and Sam.**

**I don't own NCIS L.A. or any of the character, etc. just borrowing them =)**

**Enjoy!**

**P.S. I'll probably update this story once a week, so the days in between each chapter might vary.**

Chapter 3

A word hadn't been invented yet for what it felt like to have your mouth viciously drilled into by Russians that had an affinity for torture but no dentistry degree. 'Pain' just didn't cover it. Not even 'white-hot-blinding-pain-that-made-a-grown-man-scr eam-like-a-wounded-animal' covered it; even though that's exactly what it was. Deeks almost wished he was a kid again, just waiting for the next drunken beating to start. That was less excruciating than this by far. He thought he knew pain; especially because of the abuse. And, not surprisingly, he was wrong.

He had probably also been wrong when he kissed Kensi—especially when they were being watched and listened to by their co-workers—but the moment had felt right. He had been tired of skirting around each other, tired of the dance they did to avoid confronting any feelings for each other. It had gotten worse after he had been undercover with Monica. And with Kensi constantly bringing Monica up like the jealous girl she was afraid to admit she was, Deeks finally kissed her like he's been wanting to do for close to three years now.

Deeks' thoughts broke as the drill stopped buzzing and the ugly metal brace was pulled from his mouth. He felt blood pool in his mouth, its metallic taste coating his tongue. He gathered up the blood in his mouth and spat it out; right onto his torturer's shoes, which promptly resulted in a rock-solid punch to his jaw, which hurt a hell of a lot more than normal, due to the crude mouth surgery job. Sidorov walked in yet _another _circle around his chair. He leaned down next to Deeks' ear.

"Are there anymore undercover agents who know about the bombs?" Sidorov asked quietly, deadly calm.

"No," Deeks replied as firmly as he could with his mouth cut and bleeding.

"Is Quinn an undercover agent?" Sidorov asked, and Deeks noticed the slightest hitch in the Russian's voice as he said 'Quinn'.

"When are you gonna get that no means no?" Deeks growled. "She's not any undercover agent that I know of. I don't know any Quinn,"

As he spoke, Deeks looked up through the dirty glass doors that separated him and Sam. He saw Sam tense up at the mention of Michelle's alias, then relax slightly when Deeks didn't say anything to compromise her. Deeks felt a small rush of anger at the older agent. He hated the fact that Sam barely gave him an ounce of trust, despite how long Deeks' had been with NCIS. Deeks had done countless of reckless, stupid, life-risking things he never would've done for the LAPD. But that's because the cops at the LAPD had never felt like family, not like his team at OSP. So, sure, he'd never been a SEAL, never been tortured like Sam had before, but he wasn't disloyal or a traitor. And the fact that Sam thought Deeks would give Michelle up—give _his wife up_—all because he was experiencing a little bit of pain, it made Deeks furious. And all the more determined to hold out.

He knew the next few hours or days—or however long it took for the rest of the team to find them—would be long and painful. He knew Sidorov and his torturing goons would get more and more creative until they got the answers they wanted to hear. Hell, he even knew there was a pretty good chance they wouldn't make it out of this alive. But if he could focus on the few really good things in his life…surfing, Monty…Kensi. If he could focus on her, if he could focus on keeping that promise to her, focus on getting back to her, he would make it through this.

So he thought about her as they stuck that awful brace back in his sore mouth and the whirring of the drill started up again. He thought about her as they drilled another tooth, another soft spot in his gums, another nerve that sent pain lancing, head to toe, like fire. He thought about how soft her dark hair had felt beneath his calloused fingertips as he kissed her. He thought about the lines of her jaw, the curve of her neck, the softness of her skin. He thought about those beautiful mismatched eyes, staring up into his as he pulled away from her incredibly soft, warm lips.

And he remembered exactly what she smelled like, too. Just like sunshine and gunpowder. Two of his favorite things.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-

The brief relief Sam felt when the currents of electricity stopped racing through his body went away as Sidorov and his torturing goon moved in on Deeks. A seed of fear started growing in the pit of his stomach. Not just fear for his team-mate's life, but fear that the torture would be too much for Deeks to handle. Sam knew what torture felt like. He knew what the unimaginable pain that torture brought felt like. He knew the feeling of utter and complete aloneness that accompanied torture, whether you were with someone or not. He knew what it felt like to accept that death was probably going to be the only option for surviving.

But Deeks didn't know.

And that's part of what scared Sam the most. He knew that Callen and Kensi would come for them. But what shape they would find them in was impossible to tell. Even if Deeks didn't give any information up, the toll it would take on him…Sam couldn't even bear to finish the thought.

The second Sam heard 'Quinn' from behind the glass doors that separated him from Deeks, he broke from his thoughts. He watched Deeks carefully. Thankfully, his wife's cover stayed intact, as Deeks told Sidorov some lie about investigating drugs and not knowing any Quinn. Though there was a small part of him that felt bad—maybe even guilty—for not trusting Deeks fully, he couldn't help it. Sure, they'd been working together for a while now, and Deeks had done plenty of crazy things to ensure the safety of the team and his partner—like jumping in to save Sam from drowning not that long ago—but Sam still didn't trust him like he trusted G. He wasn't even quite sure _why _he didn't fully trust Deeks. Despite not liking Deeks' hairstyle choices, Sam knew it was deeper than that. He figured that it had something to do with the fact that Deeks wasn't a soldier.

Sure, Kensi had never been in the military and neither had Callen. But Kensi's father had been a Marine and so had her ex-fiancé. Sam knew she had lost them both—though in different ways—and she just understood. And Callen…well Callen was a long story. He'd lost his sister, his mom. He'd been shot and miraculously survived. Callen was just Callen. But Deeks… Sam knew that Deeks had a childhood he'd rather not talk about. And he was a damn good cop, especially undercover—not that Sam would admit any of this face to face. But that's all Sam had seen of Deeks so far. He hadn't seen anything that screamed warrior to him. Sam wished he didn't feel this way. Deeks _was _a good cop, despite his hairstyle choices and inappropriate jokes. But until Sam saw something that made him change his mind…

Unfortunately, he realized that moment might be upon him sooner than he thought when he heard a drill start up. Then he heard Deeks scream. And Sam knew that for as long as he lived—which probably wouldn't be long at this rate—he would never be able to get that scream out of his head. It was pure agony, the sound of an animal in pain. Sam could see, through the dirty glass, Sidorov's guy drilling into Deeks' mouth. And Deeks continued to scream. Sam just wished it would stop. He wanted them to come back into his 'room' and torture him again. Deeks hadn't been torture before, and it was already bad. Sam didn't know how long Deeks would last. Didn't know how long until Deeks told them something they didn't want to hear.

So Sam was surprised, when they stopped drilling, when they repeated their questions, that Deeks kept his same answers. He told them, as he stared at Sam, that he didn't know any Quinn. Even when they drilled again, took the brace out again, the answers never changed. And they kept drilling. Deeks kept screaming. The answers stayed the same. They hit Deeks when he joked. They drilled his mouth when he didn't give them the answers they wanted. They did this until Sam watched as Deeks finally slipped into unconsciousness.

The Russians didn't even bother him. Instead, they shut off the lights, and Sam heard their footsteps echo away into the distance.

But Sam knew it was only the beginning.

**So there's chapter three! I know it wasn't super long, but they'll get longer the next few chapters. Next chapter, the search will begin, a little more tortured Deeks and Sam, and Kensi will have a few heart-to-hearts. With who? That's for you to guess =)**

** So, we didn't really get an answer as to why Sam doesn't trust Deeks, so this was sort of my interpretation. I would love to hear your guys' take on it!**

** Tell me what you guys think so far. Anything I should change, details I got wrong, things that didn't seem in-character, all is helpful to make this story better.**

** Thanks for reading!**

** -DaughterOfPoseidon333**


	4. Chapter 4

**I am just going to start by saying that you guys are so awesome! The response this story has gotten so far makes me feel so warm and fuzzy inside, so just thank you all for making my day!**

**I don't own NCIS LA or any of its characters, etc.**

**Enjoy!**

**P.S. All you Monty lovers, don't worry, I didn't forget about him, and neither did Kensi =) Oh, and also, it does get a little graphic (kinda) during Deeks' part, describing his wounds and all, so if you don't like that kind of stuff, feel free to skip it.**

Chapter 4

The first thing Kensi did before heading into the office the next morning was drive over to Deeks' place to check on Monty. She would've done it the night before, but she knew that it probably would've all been too much. She had barely held it together last night, and she knew if she had gone over to Deeks' apartment, she would've lost it. Using the spare key he had given her, she walked inside, just barely having turned on the light before she was attacked by a giant ball of fur. She laughed as Monty nearly took her out, jumping up and licking her face excitedly as she crouched to pet him.

"Hey, Monty. Hey, boy," she crooned to the shaggy dog. "Come on, come on, Monty." She called out, patting her thighs in encouragement as she stood up. She walked through Deeks' apartment, as familiar to her as her own home, Monty on her heels.

In the kitchen, she opened one of the smaller, neatly organized cupboards where Deeks kept Monty's food and dog treats. She pulled out the Purina and poured till Monty's dog dish was full. As soon as she stepped away, he darted to the bowl and took in a mouthful, crunching the food between his teeth hungrily. She gave him fresh water, and filled an extra bowl just in case. As Monty ate his fill, Kensi silently pet him, looking around the apartment. It was the same as it always was: neat and tidy, surfboard in the corner, the whole place smelling like the ocean. The only thing missing was Deeks. As if sensing her thoughts, Monty gave a low whine, staring up at her with sad brown eyes.

"I know, Monty. I miss him, too." She whispered. "Come on, I'm sure you have to pee."

She brought Monty outside, letting him sniff around the veranda until he found a tree suitable enough for his needs. When his doggy business was done and she had disposed of his waste into the nearest trashcan, she brought him back up to the apartment. As Kensi turned to leave, Monty let out another small whine. She crouched to pet him again, rubbing gentle circles on his crown to calm him.

"I know, I know. I promise I'll bring him back," she told the dog as much as she was telling herself. "Tell you what, Monty; I'll pick you up after work. But if I don't go know, Hetty won't let me _leave _form work, so I'll see you later, okay? Good boy, Monty. Stay. Good boy,"

Taking one last look around her partner's home, she stood and left, locking up behind her, telling herself the whole time that she_ would _bring her partner back. She would bring him home.

-:-::-:-:-:-:-:-

"Is it safe to sell the bombs?" Sidorov asked again. Deeks could tell he was getting frustrated, as he had asked though clenched teeth.

He acted like he hadn't heard the question. "Look, I've really gotta tinkle, so if you could just untie me—"

He broke off with a groan of pain as the hot poker his torturer had was placed on a soft spot on his inner thigh. It hurt like hell, but he was just glad they had taken a break from drilling his mouth and punching his face whenever he said something snarky. His mouth, teeth, gums, and jaw were so sore and he was pretty sure he had swallowed an ounce or so of blood. He could feel multiple bruises blossoming over the ones from the day before, and he had several gashes across his cheekbones from the man's knuckles. And, of course, this was his third burn from that stupid iron poker. The flesh was charred and blistered, the denim of his jeans seared to the skin around the edges of the burns. The man released the poker from his leg and Deeks gasped, the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding whooshing out of him.

"Whew, that was fun," Deeks joked, tossing his head to the side, failing at moving some of his hair away from his sweat-plastered forehead. His whole body was sweaty, dirty, his skin covered in a layer of grime. And he really _did _have to pee.

Sidorov shot him a look of disgust and frustration, then he turned heel and stormed over to Sam's side, his evil henchmen following with the poker and the metal bucket of hot coals.

Deeks sighed, glad not to have to put on a brave front for a little while, at least. Now all he had to do was mentally prepare himself to see Sam get tortured some more. He wished he could slip back into unconsciousness like he had the night before so he wouldn't have to see his friend suffer. It was as bad as being tortured himself. _Worse _than being tortured, because it _was _torture. He tried focusing on the floor, the ceiling, anything but Sam as they burned him too.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

"Eric, Nell, what've we got?" Kensi and Callen said simultaneously as they walked into OPS, Hetty and Michelle on their heels. Eric looked a little intimidated when she and Callen both put the pressure on him. Nell simply shared a look with Kensi, trying to hide a smirk. The amusement quickly faded form the room as Nell stood, tablet in hand, and let out a defeated sigh.

"We don't have much, unfortunately," Nell stated.

Kensi's small—and slightly naïve—hope that they had somehow located Sam and Deeks overnight deflated. Then she felt guilty for being selfish as she looked at their two analysts, their friends. Eric and Nell both had bags under their eyes. They looked exhausted and worn out. They probably hadn't gotten a wink of sleep because they had probably been up all night trying to find her and Callen's missing partners.

"What _do _we have?" Callen asked more gently. It seemed he too had noticed their friends' sleep-deprived state.

"We couldn't get eyes on Sam and Deeks at the exact time they were taken, but we hacked into traffic and building cams around Sidorov's home, and caught three black SUVs leaving shortly after we lost contact with them." Eric said as he brought up imaging from the day before, showing—like he'd said—three SUVs leaving Sidorov's place.

"We tried tracking all three vehicles to see if we could determine which one they'd taken Sam and Deeks in, but we lost two in traffic. And since none of them have plates, there's no way to track them." Nell added on.

"You said you lost two in traffic; what about the third?" Callen asked, folding his arms across his chest as he looked up at the big screen.

"That one we did manage to keep track of," Nell said, a hint of pride in her voice.

Eric turned around in his chair to address Kensi and Michelle. "It stopped at the building you guys were at yesterday."

"And?" Kensi prompted.

"And Sidorov's guy Michael Zhrov climbed out. He was the only one in the car. We tracked him into the building, and he went up to the floor you guys were on. We think he was scoping out the scene, because afterwards he made a call." Eric said, leaving the sentence hanging in the already tension-filled air.

There was a pause.

"To who, Eric?" Callen asked finally.

"That's where we hit a wall." Nell admitted. "We tracked the call to a burner phone, but we weren't able to pinpoint the exact location the call was made to. We're tracking Michael Zhrov's phone to see if he makes any more calls."

More silence.

"That's all we have right now, guys. Sorry…" Nell trailed off.

"Don't be sorry, you guys did great. We're tracking Zhrov, and if we can find him, maybe he'll tell us where Sidorov is. Plus, we've got the Russian girl, Maya, in holding at the boatshed. She might know something. Why don't you guys take a break," Callen suggested, and Kensi was once again amazed at how calm he could be in a situation like this.

Eric and Nell were about to walk through the sliding doors, when Michelle's voice rang out. "I have to get back in,"

"What do you mean, Agent Hanna?" Hetty asked the question that was on all of their faces.

"I mean that Sidorov trusts me. Enough, anyway. I can call him with the number he gave me, get him to believe that his Russian girls turned on him, and get back in his inner circle. There's a good chance he'll show me where they're keeping Sam and Deeks." Michelle explained.

"That's too risky, Michelle." Kensi told her. "If they know that Sam was an undercover agent, there's no reason Sidorov wouldn't suspect you, too."

"Kensi's right," Callen agreed. "It's too dangerous, especially if you went in alone."

"You guys don't understand," Michelle argued. "Sidorov is in love with Quinn. If I call him, pleading for him to take me in, his love for Quinn will remove any doubts he has."

The room went silent again, as everyone pondered Michelle's proposal. Eric and Nell looked almost too tired to care, Callen's jaw was set, and Kensi could tell he was conflicted. Hetty's gave away no hint of what she thought. And Kensi…she was conflicted too. It was a good idea, and if it worked, they would get Deeks and Sam back. But they couldn't risk losing another agent; not when they were so short already. She told herself that they would find another way.

"Make the call, Agent Hanna." Hetty said, breaking the silence.

"What?" Kensi burst.

"Hetty, we can't do that!" Callen protested. "We're short agents already, and we can't risk putting another in danger like that," Callen said, voicing the thoughts Kensi had had moments before.

Hetty turned to Michelle, ignoring her and Callen. "Michelle, go make the call. Eric, Nell, if you wouldn't mind waiting another moment before you go."

Michelle left the room, already dialing the number. Hetty turned back to her and Callen.

"Hetty, Michelle had a great idea and all, but what if it doesn't work? Her cover could be compromised," Kensi told the small woman.

Callen came up behind her shoulder, agreeing with her through his actions.

Hetty took a deep breath. She looked exhausted too. How had she not noticed that earlier? Kensi couldn't even imagine how the toll of having two missing agents was on Hetty. Especially after losing Dom.

"I understand your frustrations, Ms. Blye, Mr. Callen. I know how risky this mission is, but I have two agents' lives' at stake. All we need is a location, then we will pull Agent Hanna out. I trust that you two will have her back?"

Kensi looked at Callen. There wasn't much they could do if it was Hetty's orders.

"Yes," Callen answered for the both of them.

"Good. Once Michelle comes back in, we'll discuss our next step." Hetty replied.

As if on cue, Michelle came back into OPS. "I called him."

"What'd you tell him?" Callen asked.

"I told him that Veronica and Maya turned on him, told me they were only in it for the money and that they said once they killed me, they could take the money and escape. He wants to meet me." Michelle said.

"When?" Kensi questioned.

"One o'clock. I told him I wanted to pick the meeting place, being on the run and all." Michelle responded. "We're meeting at Pan Pacific Park in central L.A. It's public, and you guys should have no trouble blending in with the crowd."

"Very good, Agent Hanna." Hetty said. "Ms. Jones, Mr. Beale, that gives us four hours before the meet time. You two should go home, get cleaned up. I expect you back here in two hours at the latest."

Nell and Eric muttered quick thanks, then rushed out, looking extremely grateful for the chance to shower and eat.

"Ms. Blye and Mr. Callen, I expect you to figure out your covers, figure out a strategy, and report back to me in an hour." Hetty then turned to Michelle. "Agent Hanna, a word in my office if you wouldn't mind."

Hetty and Michelle left, leaving her and Callen alone in OPS.

"So," Callen started, breaking the silence, half a smile on his face. "I'm thinking Park Services. You?"

"I'm thinking I better go pick up Monty."

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

The first thing Sam was gonna do when he got out of this place was apologize to Deeks. Day two of torture, and Deeks was still holding strong. Sam had to admit that he was surprised. He wondered what Deeks was thinking about to get him through this. Sam thought about his wife, his daughter, getting back to his family and friends. Sam knew from stories that guys told about being tortured, held hostage alone, all those crazy, terrifying war-time experiences, that every guy held on to a single thought to get them through it. So it only made him wonder what Deeks was holding on to, what Deeks was waiting to get back to.

Right now, though, neither of them had to think about holding on. The Russians decided to take a break. Guess even crazy Russian guys who wanted to know if it was safe to sell their nukes had to take a break every now and then. But Sam was grateful. His body hurt. They had inflicted several burns from a poker on his legs, just like they had done to Deeks. His skin was burnt and chafed around his wrists and ankles where the electricity had spread to the handcuffs linking him to the metal chair. He knew he also probably had a little internal damage from the electricity. All that and the fact that he had nearly drowned the day before.

He prayed the team found them soon, or there wouldn't be much of either of them to get back.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

Kensi double-checked the ammo in her SIG. Then she checked a third time. Then a fourth. She groaned. She was never this nervous before heading into an op. _It's just like any other op, _she tried to tell herself. _Well, except for the fact that Deeks doesn't have your back because, oh that's right, he's busy getting tortured! _She sighed, really wishing she could take her mind off of Deeks. He was not helping her focus and he wasn't event there. It was weird, how his crazy antics, jokes, their banter during an op almost helped her focus _more. _But now it was just her and her thoughts, and she couldn't bring herself to calm down.

She glanced over at Monty who sat patiently by her side. She wondered, not for the first time in the past two hours, if it had been a good idea to bring him. But the presence of Deeks dog was a little bit like having Deeks around. And not just because Monty's shaggy fur reminded her of Deeks' locks.

Kensi turned when she heard footsteps coming through the door of the armory.

"Hey, Michelle," Kensi said, greeting the CIA agent.

"Hi, Kensi." Michelle responded.

There was a brief silence between them before Kensi asked one of the questions on her mind. "How are you so sure this will work?"

"Honestly? I'm not," Michelle admitted and Kensi raised her eyebrows in her surprise. "But it's a risk I have to take."

"You didn't have to take the risk. Why not wait until we found another way, a safer way?" Kensi asked her.

Michelle smiled kindly. "I think you know why, Kensi. You, out of everybody here, should be able to relate."

Even though she had a hunch she knew what Michelle meant, she still asked. "What do you mean?"

"Callen mentioned to me about what happened yesterday, before you came to help me." Michelle said.

And there it was again, that blush creeping up to her cheeks. Why did that keep happening? It wasn't like kissing people was a foreign concept to her. And she'd never been shy about it. Until now, when it seemed like _everybody _in the whole office knew that Deeks had kissed her.

"So, what? Everybody knows now? You'd think people would have a better sense of privacy," Kensi muttered, half to herself.

Michelle laughed. "It's gossip, it spreads. Don't be too embarrassed. I understand."

"That's the thing, I'm not…well, I'm a little embarrassed I guess," she admitted. "It's just…I don't know what it means. Well, I know what it means, I just—I don't know how to deal with it. I'm not good with feelings."

"I know." Michelle said softly. "I wasn't either until Sam came along. It's hard to remember what feelings are sometimes, for people like you and me."

"And what kind of people are we exactly?" Kensi asked with half a smile.

"We're women, in a business surrounded by men who sometimes look down on us, think us weaker than them _because _we're women. And _because _they think we're weak, we build up a shell, a wall. We make ourselves strong and shut out our feelings." Michelle said, almost regretfully. "but you have to remember, Kensi, that we're still women. _You're _still a woman; still a girl. You have feelings. You have a heart; I've seen it, Kensi. You're an amazing person, very caring, and selfless."

Michelle paused and Kensi let that compliment sink in.

"And when you find a man that makes you feel like a girl, makes you remember those nervous, butterflies-in-your-stomach, smile-because-he's-smiling feelings…just remember that maybe it's okay to knock down some of that wall and let those feelings show. It's okay to let someone it, Kensi. I know it's hard. I was in the same boat you're in right now with Sam at one point. And what happened? I married him and now we have a family." Michelle smiled at her, and Kensi could see how much she loved Sam. It made her smile.

"Just promise me that you'll knock down some of that wall. Maybe not today, or tomorrow. Promise me you'll do it someday?" Michelle asked.

Kensi thought about Deeks, how happy he made her when he was around. She thought about how she felt right now when he _wasn't _around. She thought about all their banter, his jokes to make her feel better when she was down. He had her back all the time, and not just because it was his job to watch her back. He was just always there for her, no matter what. She thought about that wall Michelle had talked about, knowing it was true. She thought about how much she had already let Deeks in already. He knew her better than anyone. So maybe…maybe it was okay to knock down that wall a little bit more.

"I promise."

**So there's chapter 4 for all you awesome people! It's a little longer than the last couple, so hope that made you guys happy =)**

**And to all you people reading the story, try reviewing! You guys are obviously interested in the story, so I wanna know what you think! Feedback is great, so REVIEW! Pretty please =) Like seriously, reviews just make me so happy, and I want to know if there's anything I can do to make the story better.**

**I do have to tell you guys again, though, that you're all amazing! I wouldn't be anywhere in this story without you guys!**

**Thanks, as always, for reading =)**

**I'll update some point in the next week, so stay tuned!**

**-DaughterOfPoseidon333**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey guys! **

**First, a big THANK YOU to anyone who has reviewed, favorited, and/or followed this story! It means the world to me!**

**You guys ready for the big rescue? I sure hope so! **

**And I know this is a day late, but it's a long chapter, so I hope that makes up for it a little bit!**

**I don't own NCIS LA or anything associated with it.**

**Enjoy!**

Chapter 5

Callen looked at himself in the mirror, trying to get a feel for his disguise. The shiny surface reflected back an image of himself in brown trousers, a gray button down, and matching deep green tie and ball cap. The logo for the Los Angeles park services was embroidered into the left shirt pocket and the hat. The final touch was the name plate on his right shirt pocket that read D. FAWSWORTH; the 'D' standing for Darrel. Callen wasn't sure where Hetty or Eric or whoever had come up with _Fawsworth _as his last name, but he wouldn't rule out the possibility that it was some prank on him or something. And, well, okay, the nametag wasn't the _final _final touch…

"Nice goatee," Kensi smirked from where she sat on the stool behind him, Monty on the floor beside her.

He turned to face her, the half-smile he gave her not quite the same with the itchy faux mustache and goatee attached to his face.

"Well, at least I don't look like a Barbie doll," he countered, eyeing the blonde wig and blue contacts Kensi was donning.

"Ha ha. Very funny," she said sarcastically, then grimaced. He figured she liked her accessories about as much as he liked his.

"Why did Hetty want us to wear this stuff anyway?" Kensi muttered, thinking aloud.

And, of course, her words were heard.

"Because, Ms. Blye," Hetty's voice drifted over as she approached. "the harder it is for Sidorov to recognize you, the better. This will throw the Russians off your trail, if even a little bit. It gives us more options when Michelle's meet is over."

With a knowing smile, Hetty turned and headed up the stairs to OPS.

"How does she _do _that?" Kensi whispered in awe, shaking her head in disbelief like they usually did when Hetty popped up out of nowhere, seemingly knowing everything.

"She's a ninja, remember?" he shrugged, smiling, slipping on a pair of aviator's sunglasses. "Come on, we'd better get going. Michelle's meet with Sidorov is in an hour."

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

Callen missed Sam.

The worst part?

It was his fault that Sam and Deeks were gone in the first place. It had been his plan—his stupid plan—to get Janvier involved. And now, because of it, Sam—his partner and best friend, the person he trusted most—was getting tortured somewhere by angry Russians. _"This is all your doing," _Janvier had said. _"Look into my eyes. I still only live for one thing…to kill what you love."_ The words ringing over in his head weren't helping with the guilt.

The second Janvier had revealed that he had given Sam up Callen had wanted to finish what he'd started. He had wanted to kill Janvier so badly. And for a moment, it seemed like his anger—his pure, white-hot rage—would take over, would get the best of him. But Janvier had _wanted _to die; Callen wasn't going to grant him the luxury. So he settled for punching Janvier a couple more times. Punching him until he heard the satisfying crunch of cartilage under his fist and Janvier's nose was turned into a fountain of blood.

It wasn't that Callen didn't like working with Kensi. She was a good agent, a good partner, but she wasn't _his _partner. Though he and Kensi were friends—more like brother and sister—they just didn't have the same bond he had with Sam. Or even the same bond that Kensi had with Deeks—recent kiss aside. That kiss… Callen wasn't jealous or anything, just protective. Again, Kensi was like a sister to him. He didn't want to see her get hurt. Not that he thought Deeks would hurt her, but if something were ever to happen to Deeks, he didn't want to see the toll it would take on Kens. She had already lost her father; lost Dom, her first partner…he knew she couldn't afford to lose Deeks. So it was now Callen's job, not only to get his own partner back, but Kensi's partner too.

And that's exactly what he was going to do.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

Kensi gave the tennis ball another good throw, watching as Monty tore after it. She couldn't help but smile. Monty _was _pretty cute, even if he was a little shaggy. Maybe she'd have to get a dog. Then her and Deeks could walk their dogs together, have puppy-play-dates as her and Deeks sat on the couch, watching Titanic for the billionth time, drinking beer and eating Rocky Road. _But we have to get him back first, _her head reminded her. Her smile disappeared.

"Kens, you read me?" Callen's voice interrupted her thoughts over her com.

"Yup, loud and clear." She responded, taking a second to spot Callen across the huge stretch of grass, dotted with the occasional trees, which made up Pan Pacific Park.

If she didn't know him, she definitely wouldn't have recognized him. Most of his face was concealed with the ball cap he wore, sunglasses, and facial hair. It reminded her of her own disguise. The blonde wig didn't match her eyebrows, but she was _not _going to dye them. The blue contacts were pretty high quality, so they didn't mess with her vision like cheap ones would have. She supposed her disguise could've been worse. Although, several guys had already come up to talk to her, and it was very hard trying to not act like a first class bitch trying to get them to go away so she could focus on the task at hand.

"Kens, Eric, you got eyes on Michelle?" Callen's voice sounded in her ear again.

"Yeah, she's sitting on the bench Nell hid the mic on," Kensi replied.

"The cameras I set up have a clear image of Michelle," Eric said over the com. "The mic Nell hooked up has good sound. When Sidorov joins her, we'll be able to hear everything they say."

"Good," Callen said. Kensi spotted him, picking up trash as he scanned the area for any trace of Sidorov or his men. "You see anything in the parking lot, Eric?"

"No sign of them yet, Callen." The analyst responded.

"Okay. Keep us posted,"

"Will do."

Kensi threw the ball again as Monty dropped it at her feet. She glanced over at Michelle, seated on the park bench with Nell's mic, about twenty-five feet to Kensi's two o'clock. Michelle had picked a good spot to meet. The park didn't have a ton of trees, which would make it harder for Sidorov or any of his guys to hide, but also easier to hit a target if a fire fight broke out. There were people, park police…the only thing that would make it perfect was if Sidorov showed up. Her eyes scanned the park again, and that's when she spotted him: the tall Russian with his salt and pepper hair, and steely eyes. Kensi wanted to take him out right then and there, but that wouldn't get Deeks back.

"Callen, I've got him. He's heading towards Michelle right now. I don't see anyone else yet, but I'm sure they're here." she said quietly, plastering on a smile as Monty came back with the ball. She raised her voice. "Good boy, good boy!"

Out of her peripheral, Kensi saw Sidorov glance at her as he walked, but if he recognized her somehow, or noticed anything unusual, he didn't act on it. After all, she was Maggie Symons, just a normal girl at the park with her dog.

"I see him, Kens. Eric?" Callen's voice crackled over her com.

"Yup, I've got him, too, Callen. Hey guys, Michael Zhrov's there too. He's about twenty feet behind the bench Michelle's at. There's a guy with him. I'm running the other guy through facial rec right now." Eric reported.

Kensi's let her eyes drift briefly over to Zhrov. She could see him clearly with the other guy. She read their lips. All small talk. Trying to blend in. Wasn't really working for them. She could see small bulges in their jackets, and she was sure they were guns. Subconsciously, Kensi touched the small of her back, where her SIG was tucked, and she pulled her jacket and shirt down more to make sure the weapon was concealed.

"Callen, looks like Zhrov and his buddy are carrying. I don't see anyone else. You?" she stated.

"Nope. Sidorov might've just brought the two guys. Any hits yet, Eric, Nell?"

"Not yet, Callen," Nell's voice answered.

Everyone fell silent as Sidorov reached Michelle. She stood up to greet him, and he embraced her in a hug. Kensi caught a glimpse of his firearm. No surprise that he, too, was carrying. Kensi was more worried about all the civilians at the park, rather than any of them. Michelle sat and Sidorov followed her lead.

"Quinn," Sidorov said fondly, and Kensi could tell that he _really _was in love with her. Kensi found it hard to imagine that the man who was trying to sell nukes and was having her partner tortured was even capable of feeling…_anything. _

"Isaak," Michelle greeted, smiling, falling easily into the façade of her cover.

Kensi saw Sidorov rest his hand near his jacket, where he could easily reach his gun. Kensi knew he was probably still suspicious of Michelle. But it was Michelle's turn to play her part.

"What happened? I want to hear it again," Sidorov said, his brow creasing with concern.

"Maya and Veronica took me to that building. They said we were just going to wait till you called, so that's what I did. I had my back turned for one second and they attacked me." Michelle said. Kensi listened over her com, impressed. Michelle's voice was all right as she told the story over, adding in just the right amount of shock and disbelief and remembrance.

"They threw me down, gave me these," Michelle lifted up the sleeve of her jacket, revealing bruises on her skin that she indeed had gotten the other day.

Kensi watched as Sidorov's eyes widened briefly, his eyes momentarily filling with anger.

"That's not all they gave me," Michelle continued begrudgingly. "But you can see those later." Michelle smirked, trying to lighten the mood, and placed a hand over Sidorov's.

"She's good," Callen said, and Kensi had to agree.

"Anyway," Michelle started again. "They told me that they were only in it for the money. They turned on you, Isaak. Told me all they needed to do was kill me when you weren't around, and then they could disappear."

"I don't…it's just…so hard to find good help these days," Sidorov gave Michelle a tight smile. "How did you get away? There were two of them, one of you,"

"Well, it wasn't easy. They threw me out one of the windows and everything. They thought they'd killed me. That made it easy for me to catch them off guard."

"And the bodies?"

"Got rid of 'em before anybody found them and got the cops involved." Michelle answered smoothly.

Kensi saw Sidorov relax slightly, and she did too, not even realizing how tense she had been getting, caught up in the conversation.

Sidorov glanced down at the ground and sighed. "Why didn't you call me right away?"

"Too dangerous. Didn't want to alert anyone in case Maya and Veronica weren't alone. I just laid low for 24 hours. I called you, that's what matters right?" Michelle gave Sidorov a smile and he smiled back, trapped in her web.

"I suppose so. And you're sure nobody followed you here?" Sidorov asked warily.

"Positive. I took heavy precautions; especially this close to the sale of the weapons. You _are _still selling the bombs to the Iranians, right?" Michelle asked and Sidorov didn't look the slightest bit suspicious of her question.

"Yes. They've already given me a considerable amount of gold. If I were to turn back on the deal….well it would make disappearing with you very difficult." Sidorov smiled at Michelle, looking at her as if she was the only woman in the world, and Kensi knew it was an okay thing that Sam wasn't seeing this. Though, if he were there, Michelle wouldn't be having this meet in the first place.

Michelle smiled back, grasping his hand tighter. "That's true. When is the trade happening? I want to be there to celebrate our freedom,"

Sidorov's smile vanished. "I don't know anymore. After David…I'm not sure if it's safe right now."

Kensi tensed, listening for Michelle's response. She could almost hear Callen tense through her com. She tried to calm herself by petting Monty, who had given up on fetch and decided to lay down by her side.

"David?" Michele's voice flooded with the appropriate amount of confusion and the tiniest bit of anger, her brows pulling together in disbelief. "What about David? Why wouldn't it be safe to distribute weapons?"

Sidorov didn't answer; only clenched and unclenched his jaw repeatedly.

"Isaak, what is it?" Michelle asked, taking both of his hands in hers. "You can trust me, Isaak. You know that don't you? I love you, Isaak, so please, tell me."

When those three little words rolled out of Michelle's mouth, Sidorov looked straight at her, looking at her as if he was seeing her for the first time. Kensi had to admit, she was stunned too. And judging from the deafening silence over her com, so was everybody else. But it was clear in Sidorov's features that he believed her. Hook, line, and sinker.

Sidorov looked at Michelle, and it looked like he was trying hard not to smile. Once again, Kensi found it hard to believe that somewhere inside of the coldness of the man there was a warm, beating heart.

"A tip was given to me…" Sidorov paused. "David is not who he says he is. He is working against us as an undercover agent."

"_What?_" and there it was again, the perfect display of disbelief and shock in Michelle's features and tone. "That can't be…h-how's that possible?"

"I don't know. I thought you knew David well, though?" Sidorov asked, suspicion creeping into his voice.

"Kensi, be alert. If Sidorov says something you don't like, move in." Callen said over her com.

"Copy that, Callen." She responded, pulling Monty closer to her side.

"I do—I _did_." Michelle responded to Sidorov. "I knew him very well. Wait, you don't think _I'm _and agent as well, do you?"

"I can't be positive. The circumstances are suspicious, Quinn. Veronica and Maya turning on me, you managing to evade death by their hand, all of it starting with David."

"What I told you about Veronica and Maya was the truth. You have to believe me; I had no idea about David—or whatever the hell his name is. If I had, I never would've brought him with me. I wouldn't put you in danger like that. Like I said, Isaak, I love you. I want the burden of these weapons gone; I want to run away with you. I want to disappear." Michelle said, and even Kensi believed her.

And when Michelle gently placed her lips to Sidorov's, he seemed to believe her too. Kensi had already seen Michelle kiss Sidorov once, but she could practically hear everybody else's shock at what Sam's wife had just done.

"Uh…" Callen was at lost for words, and Kensi had to smile. "No mentioning this to Sam, agreed?"

"Way ahead of you," Kensi joked.

"We'll sell the bombs as soon as I know it's safe." Sidorov told Michelle.

"How are you going to find out if it's safe or not?"

"Through David and his partner."

"You have David? And another cop? Well, have you gotten anything out of them yet?" Michelle asked.

"No, nothing yet. Our methods are not working." Sidorov admitted.

Kensi had to restrain herself from pulling out her gun and shooting Sidorov herself. He mentioning Deeks planted a seed of rage deep in the pit of her stomach, and every second it grew bigger. She clenched one hand into a fist. She needed to calm down, she knew that. She took deep breaths and ran her other hand through Monty's fur. It helped, having the dog there. He kept her _mostly _calm.

"Kens, you okay?" Callen asked, concerned. Even with the distance between them, Kensi could feel Callen's eyes on her, watching her reaction to what Sidorov was saying.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Kensi replied, not letting her voice give anything away.

"Torture?" Michelle questioned. "Let me try. Maybe I can get something out of David. He might talk to me. It's worth a shot if it means we can sell the nukes. Besides, I think I owe him a punch or two now."

Kensi tensed. Here was the moment where the op would sink or swim. Sidorov was either going to kill Michelle out of suspicion, or he would take her to where their friends' were. Everything seemed to stand still for a moment, everything around them becoming insignificant next to Sidorov's awaited response.

"I'll take you to them. If we don't get anything out of them in the next 24 hours, we kill them both and take the weapons to the Iranians." Sidorov finally said, and Kensi—including Callen, Eric, Nell, and Hetty—all let go of the collective breaths they'd been holding.

They were in.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

"I'm tracking their SUV using Kaleidoscope," Eric said back in ops, and Kensi watched as her pulled up footage of a black SUV onto the big screen. "Plus, we're tracking Michelle's phone and the phone that belongs to the number Sidorov gave her. Nell also planted a GPS chip into one of Michelle's boots and on one of the bracelets she was wearing. We're not gonna lose them this time."

"Once they get to their location, we're going to get every camera in the area on them. We'll let you guys know when we have eyes." Nell added.

"Very good, Mr. Beale, Ms. Jones," Hetty said. "I've put in word to Director Vance on our progress. Mr. Callen, Ms. Blye, my office. A word, if you wouldn't mind."

And with that, Hetty turned and left.

As Callen came up to her, she tried not to feel angry. After Sidorov, Zhrov—and his other guy who had yet to be identified—left with Michelle, Kensi had wanted to follow. Callen had held her back though, insisting that the whole time, Zhrov and the other henchmen had been surveying the whole vicinity every minute they were in the park. He insisted that it would be too dangerous to follow. And, it would only tip off Sidorov. If they followed him right away, Sidorov would no doubt assume that Michelle—or Quinn—was behind it and that would put her at risk. Kensi saw the logic in all of that, but every second they didn't act, was another second Sam and Deeks spent getting tortured.

"I know you're mad at me, Kens—" Callen started to say, but she interrupted.

"I'm not mad, not really," she sighed, feeling defeated. "I'm just frustrated with all of this. I just want to get our partners back."

"I know. Me, too. We'll get them back. Let's just see what Hetty has to say, then we'll plan our next step." He said, trying to comfort her. It worked a little. It _was _more comforting now that he looked like himself again, along with her.

Minutes later, Kensi stood with Callen in front of Hetty's desk. There had been an awkward silence for about thirty seconds as Hetty just looked at them. Then she smiled, though it didn't quite reach her eyes, and Kensi guessed this was as hard a case for her as it was for them.

"I want to tell you what a good job you did today, both of you," Hetty said, spreading her hands.

"Thanks, I guess." Callen said, looking mildly suspicious, eyeing the woman in front of them. "Is that _all _you wanted to talk to us about, Hetty?"

Hetty sighed. "No, it's not. I spoke with Director Vance. He also says that you two have done well, considering the circumstances. But,"

_Uh-oh, _Kensi thought. Her head immediately went to the kiss. Hetty probably knew about it—who was she kidding? Of _course _Hetty knew. She'd probably told Vance about it, and they were going to take her off the case. She was about to protest, but she couldn't get the words out. Luckily, she didn't have to talk. Hetty did instead.

"Director Vance is ordering that we stand down until tomorrow." Hetty said grimly.

It took a moment for Kensi's brain to process what her boss had just said. So not about the kiss, but…they couldn't rescue Sam and Deeks till _tomorrow_?

"_What?_" she burst out.

At the same time, Callen spoke. "Hetty, we can't do that."

Her and Callen exchanged a glance, then turned back on Hetty.

"Hetty, we know that Sidorov said 24 hours, but what if they don't make it that long?" Kensi protested. "We can't just leave them there. Once they see Michelle there, they'll be expecting us. We can't just—"

"Ms. Blye, I am aware of the circumstances. I don't like them anymore than you do. But Director Vance was very clear." Hetty said sternly. "I only have the two of you at hand right now. With Michelle inside, the sooner we move, the more likely it is that we put her in danger as well. I cannot afford to lose another agent at this point."

"Hetty—" Callen started, trying to argue.

"Mr. Callen…the decision is final. The two of you, accompanied by a SWAT team, will move in tomorrow. Sidorov is to be taken _alive. _Am I clear?"

Silence.

Then Callen spoke, his voice clipped, looking as angry as Kensi felt. "Yes. We understand."

"Good." Hetty responded wearily. "Mr. Callen, you are dismissed. I would like another moment to speak with Ms. Blye."

Callen didn't argue. He left, running a hand over his face. Kensi didn't know how much either of them could keep this up. They wanted their partners back. They _needed _their partners back. They were both angry, frustrated, itching to take action. But they couldn't do it alone. So they had to wait until tomorrow. Kensi didn't know if she could wait that long. Even now every passing second without Deeks felt like a lifetime.

"Take a seat, Kensi." Hetty asked gently.

Slightly shocked, Kensi couldn't refuse. Hetty rarely called them by their first names. Once sitting, Kensi realized how tired she really was. She had been functioning the past two days on hardly any sleep, probably a dozen cups of coffee, and adrenaline. She needed sleep, she knew that. But she also knew the chances of her getting a decent night's sleep were slim to none.

"Kensi…" Hetty paused, like she was searching for the right words to say. "I understand how difficult this is for you. I know that losing your first partner, Mr. Vail, was hard. But I also know that the circumstances are different with Mr. Deeks."

Kensi flushed pink, and she hated herself for doing so. "What do you mean?"

Hetty smirked. "You know exactly what I mean, Ms. Blye. I was up in OPS when it happened. Honestly, Kensi, though it is against the rules, I usually turn a blind eye for you and Mr. Deeks. You work well together, and I can see that he has helped a lot. He has helped you open up a bit since your father's passing. It's not my business what happens in your personal lives'. It is, however, my business to keep this team as safe as possible."

Kensi blushed as Hetty talked about her and Deeks. Though it did sound a little bit like the talk she and Callen had had, god, just last night.

"I need to know if you can set aside your personal feelings and put this mission first, Kensi?" the small woman asked, her eyes caring behind her glasses.

"Yes," it came out as a whisper, so she cleared her throat and spoke clearer. "Yes. Mission comes first. We wait until tomorrow for the rescue and Sidorov is to be taken alive. I understand, Hetty."

"I'm glad to hear that. Now, go home and get some rest. Big day tomorrow." Hetty said kindly, and Kensi knew she was dismissed.

When Kensi got home later that night, it didn't turn out as she'd predicted. Monty jumped into bed with her, and the second her head hit the pillow, she was out. And all she dreamed about was Deeks and the fact that Hetty had practically given them permission to become more than just friends. Question was is that what _she _wanted? As she drifted asleep, she knew the answer. _Yes. _Now all she had to do was open up somehow, let him in. That was going to be harder than tomorrow's rescue mission.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

So far the mission was going well. Kensi crossed her fingers and hoped it stayed that way. Eric and Nell had tracked Sidorov and Michelle to a warehouse. Tracking money through a series of off-shore accounts and fake names, the two analysts had found that Sidorov had been the one to purchase the warehouse. And naturally, the first thing he had done was install security. There were guards posted at each exit—four total; one on each side of the building—and half a dozen security cameras were rigged on the outside. Luckily, the camera footage was easy to hack into, and Nell and Eric had used their computer super powers to hack into the feed, making Kensi, Callen, and the SWAT team invisible to anyone on the inside who happened to be monitoring the cameras.

Kensi stood with Callen by the SWAT van and her car, about a block and half down from the warehouse, half hidden by the trees on the veranda. Callen lowered his binoculars. Kensi could practically see the gears turning in his head, trying to figure out how to get in quietly, so as not to alert Sidorov until they had guns pointed at him.

"How do you want to play this?" he asked.

Kensi thought for a moment. "You and I create a distraction, try to get at least two of the guards attention on us. The SWAT team can take the other two out quietly. Once they've done that, we handle the other two."

Callen nodded. "Sounds good to me. What kind of distraction were you thinking?"

"New to town, we're lost and you're too stubborn to ask for directions. So we start arguing like the old married couple that we're not." he smiled at Callen and he gave a small chuckle.

"Okay. I'll tell the team what's what."

Five minutes later, Kensi pulled her silver Cadillac up to the curb by the warehouse. She saw the two guards closest to them raise their guns and eye the car.

"You ready?" Callen asked her, unbuckling his seatbelt.

"This was my idea, of course I'm ready," she scoffed then climbed out of the car, approaching the chain link fence that lined the sides of the warehouse that were facing the street.

"Excuse me, could you help us?" Kensi called through the fence, putting on a sweet smile. She and Callen stepped through the opening in the fence, walking into the warehouse's yard.

One guard stepped towards them, tucking his gun away. The other followed behind him, gun lowered. They eyed Callen—who had put on his best annoyed face—but then turned their attention back to Kensi and the v-neck line of her shirt. She resisted the urge to roll her eyes and call them pigs.

"Hi!" she said brightly as they approached. "My boyfriend and I are new to town and we still don't know our way around the streets. Could you give us some directions?"

"I _told _you, Kayla, we don't need to ask for directions!" Callen interrupted loudly before either of the guards could answer.

"So how do you explain us getting lost, then?" she snapped back, putting her hands on her hips. She turned back to the guards. "Sorry about that. You can help us though, right?"

She batted her lashes, smiling bigger than before. The guy in front smiled back at her, and the other holstered his gun, stepping closer.

"Sure sweetheart. Where're you trying to go?" Guard Number 1 said, grinning at her, speaking with a Russian accent.

"Hey! Hey, that's my girlfriend you're calling sweetheart! Watch what you say!" Callen shouted, causing the Guard Number 1 to look irritated. "Come on, Kayla, these guys aren't going to be much help,"

Callen grabbed her arm lightly, trying to pull her away. She grabbed her arm back and turned back to the guards just as Callen's phone rang. He looked at the Caller I.D. and answered.

"Hello?" Callen said, taking a step away.

"Ugh, _always _taking calls," Kensi groaned. "You know, I wouldn't be surprised if he was cheating on me. Maybe it's time I found a new boyfriend. Maybe one who actually knows his way around this city,"

She eyed Guard Number 1 up and down appreciatively, twirling a strand of hair around one of her fingers flirtatiously.

"Kayla," Callen said.

"_What, _Brian?" she asked irritably.

"Eric called. He's wondering why we're late. He gave us directions, we're good to go. Come on!"

And that was their cue that the SWAT team had taken out the other guards.

"Okay, go to the car, I'll be right there," she said, and Callen turned around, not hurrying.

She pulled a piece of paper out of her pocket, along with a pen, and scribbled down a random phone number. She tucked it into Guard Number 1's trouser pocket.

"You can call me anytime to give me directions," she said quietly.

She patted his arm…then yanked it around behind him, hard. He cried out in pain and she heard a _pop!_ as she dislocated his shoulder. She planted a foot on Guard Number 1' back, forcing him to the ground. Guard Number 2 raised his gun, but Callen was already there with his own gun aimed at the guy's head.

"Drop it!" Callen yelled.

Guard Number 2 hesitated for a moment before wisely lowering his gun to the ground.

"On your knees! Hands behind your head!" Callen ordered.

Kensi finished cuffing her guy and disarming him. Callen did the same, and the SWAT team joined up with them just in time. Four of the SWAT team members took their prisoners and locked them up with the other two guards in the back of their van. The SWAT leader, Briggs, handed Callen and Kensi their Kevlar NCIS vests as he spoke.

"The perimeter is secure. I've got guys on each of the exits now." Briggs said.

"Thanks," Callen replied. They quick went over to grab their Colt M4A1 assault rifles. Kensi tucked her SIG in its holster attached to her hip. She double checked her guns' ammo and the straps on her bulletproof vest. She activated her com and put it in her ear. Everything was in order. She looked at Callen.

"Let's go get our partners back." Callen said, giving her that half-smile he was practically famous for.

She nodded. "I couldn't agree more."

Callen looked to Briggs, but Briggs shook his head. "Your lead, Agent Callen."

Callen nodded. "Okay. I want a team going in through each exit. I'll take one team through the main doors. Kensi, you go in through the back with another team. We meet in the middle. Kill only if necessary. Sidorov is to be taken alive. We have three agents in there. You all know what they look like. Ambulances are on their way. No sirens. Let's make this quick and quiet. Everybody clear on what the mission is?"

Everybody nodded.

"Good. Move in," Callen said, gesturing for four guys to follow him, four to follow Kensi, and the other six split up between the two remaining entrances.

Kensi led her team to the southern entrance of the warehouse. She held her Colt at the ready, muscles tense as she waited for Callen's signal to sound in her ear.

"On three," Callen voiced. "One…two…_three!_"

Kensi burst through the door, holding her gun aloft. It was a big warehouse and Sidorov only had so many men at hand, so she wasn't surprised when nobody noticed them right away. She signaled with one hand for her team to branch out. She took two steps forward and a man with a sawed-off Remington 870 appeared from the shadows. The guy fired around, missing Kensi by an inch. He didn't get the chance to fire another round before Kensi shot a short burst into the man's chest, scarlet blood staining his white-button down as he fell to the ground. She approached him and kicked his weapon away. Her team headed farther into the warehouse. She heard distant gunfire form the other teams.

"Kensi, status?" Callen's voice crackled over her com.

"One guy down. We're all good. No sign of Sidorov, Michelle, Sam, or Deeks."

"We haven't seen them either. We took out two by the main entrance. One of the flanking teams took out the guys who were manning the cameras. We're heading towards the center of the warehouse." Callen updated her.

They continued through the warehouse with barely another peep. Kensi heard one more round of gunfire before everything fell silent again. She met the other teams' in the middle as they came up on a room with a single door on the one side they could see. She could hear the murmur of frantic voices on the other side. Callen ordered most of the men to fall back to the entrances they'd come through, to catch any stragglers or anyone who tried to escape. Kensi was left with Callen, Briggs, and two other SWAT members. Callen looked at her and mouthed, _one…two….three!_ They burst through the door. Sidorov, who had been arguing with 'Quinn' and Michael Zhrov, froze. They all stood by a barely conscious Sam, who was restrained to a metal chair with jumper cables attached.

Kensi didn't even have time to feel relief that Sam and Michelle were okay—_mostly_ okay on Sam's part—because just then all hell broke loose. Zhrov pulled his gun, and Callen fired a round into his leg, causing him to drop to his knees. Kensi knew that Zhrov would be almost as important as Sidorov.

"Drop your weapons!" Briggs yelled. Of course, no one listened.

"Quinn, come on!" Sidorov yelled, pushing through the chaos and out through the door they'd come through, firing on anyone who dared come near.

Kensi saw Sidorov glance back a Michelle as Kensi bound her hands behind her back loosely with zip ties and 'forced' her to the ground. Michelle glanced up at Kensi briefly and gave her the tiniest of nods; nothing that would be noticed by anyone but her. Kensi moved away from Michelle when she heard a cry and looked up just in time to see one of the SWAT team members fall to the ground. Michael Zhrov still hadn't dropped his weapon.

"Drop it!" Briggs shouted again.

Kensi thought he was going to put his gun down, but at the last second, he fired again, causing them all to duck. With his wounded leg, he ran as fast as he could towards the door after Sidorov. Kensi watched as he fired at one of the SWAT teams outside the room they were in with Sam, and a SWAT member shot a round into his chest, and Zhrov dropped to the ground like a stone.

"Clear," Callen stated, then immediately rushed to Sam.

Kensi helped Michelle to her feet and cut the zip ties. Michelle rushed over to help get her husband out of the cuffs that bound him to the metal chair.

"Guys, Sidorov managed to get away in his car, but we're tracking him using Kaleidoscope and the GPS tracker Michelle planted on him." Eric reported over their coms. "The paramedics are on their way into the building now."

"Thanks, Eric," Callen replied. "Kens, you see Deeks?"

Kensi had to bite back a sob. "No, I…"

She trailed off when she turned, and through the dirty panes of glass that made up a sliding door on the other side of the room, she saw him.

"Deeks!" she yelled, and pushed the door open.

Kensi rushed to her partner's side and fell to her knees, undoing his hands from behind his back.

"Deeks…oh god… Deeks," she whispered, taking in the bruises, the cuts, and the blood. Lots of blood.

For a second, she wasn't sure if he was alive, and she had to fight the tears forming in her eyes. She gently reached up and placed two fingers to his neck, full of sweat and grime and blood, and felt for the thrumming of his pulse. The seconds that ticked by felt like hours, until, finally, she felt the light flutter of his pulse. She exhaled slowly, trying to calm the racing of her heart as she took in the sight of her battered partner.

"Kensi?"

Her name came out of Deeks' mouth as a barely audible murmur. Kensi just about screamed with relief as he stirred, struggling to pick up his head.

"Kensi…that you?" he whispered.

"Yeah, yeah it's me, Deeks." she smiled, feeling a few traitor tears slip down her cheeks.

She watched as he managed a weak smile. "I knew you'd find me, Fern. I knew you were comin'. I knew—"

Deeks broke off and Kensi could only watch in horror as he coughed and a mouthful of scarlet blood poured over his lips and down his chin, coloring the front of his shirt. But there wasn't enough time to worry about him herself as one team of paramedics rushed forward and began lifting Deeks onto a stretcher. She tried to see what was going on, but one very annoying paramedic kept pushing her away, telling her to stay back. Kensi risked a glance at Callen to see he was in the same position she was: forced to stay back as strangers took the life of his partner in their hands.

Kensi followed the paramedics as they wheeled their partners out to the ambulances. One paramedic was about to shoo Michelle away, but she responded by glaring at him and telling him "There was no way in hell she was not going to ride in the ambulance with her husband". But seeing as Kensi was only Deeks partner and best friend, she didn't get the privilege of riding in the ambulance with him. So she could only watch as the ambulances, sirens now on full blast, roared away from the warehouse, carrying her best friend away.

**So there's chapter 5 for ya! Hope you liked it! Took a while to write, so that's why it's a day late.**

** Tell me what you guys think! This chapter required some research and I was really trying to make every aspect of the mission sound like it would on the show, so I could really use some feedback on what you thought. So REVIEW guys, I like hearing your opinions and constructive criticism is always welcome!**

** I'll (hopefully) update within the next week, so stay tuned!**

** Thanks for reading!**

** -DaughterOfPoseidon333**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey y'all! First and foremost, THANK YOU! You guys are truly amazing! Your reviews absolutely make my day! So thank you guys =)**

**Alright, hospital chapter. Prepare for angst.**

**I don't own NCIS LA.**

**Enjoy!**

Chapter 6

Kensi decided she hated hospitals.

For one, the smell of bleach and antiseptics was overpowering. The main reason though was that, it seemed like whenever she was at a hospital, she was sitting in a plastic chair across from her partner's bed, helpless to do anything but watch over him and listen to the steady beeping of the monitors' at his side. She hated feeling helpless. It was probably her least favorite feeling in the whole wide world. Well, except for the feeling that she got whenever Deeks' life was on the line. Like right now.

They told her that he had slipped into unconsciousness in the ambulance, and he hadn't woken up since she and Callen had arrived at the hospital. Hetty had been waiting for them when they entered the hospital, just minutes after the ambulances carrying their partners had. Hetty had given them a somber 'well done' then taken a seat in the waiting room. Callen had rushed off to Sam's room, and Kensi to Deeks'.

After an hour, with Kensi not moving an inch the entire time, Callen came in. He looked tired, dark circles under his eyes, his face drawn, similar to the way he looked when he hadn't yet had his morning coffee.

"Hey," he said quietly, softly stepping into the room.

"Hi," she replied. "How's Sam?"

Callen took a deep breath, and somehow he seemed to age a couple years in front of her eyes. Kensi couldn't imagine the weight, the stress, on his shoulders of being their team leader and having to put his strong face on when their friends were in critical condition.

"He has burns around his wrists and ankles where the cuffs had been attached to the metal chair. There's some minor internal tissue damage from the electrocution, but it didn't caused any fibrillation to his heart, which is the good news, otherwise he probably would've gone into cardiac arrest. He also had burns on his legs, from some kind of metal instrument. There were bruises and cuts all over his body and a broken finger on his left hand, plus the fact that he nearly drowned." Callen paused, taking another deep breath, running a hand over his short hair.

"They're making sure there's no water left in his lungs. They also found that he's got some cracked ribs from what looks like CPR. Sam was awake for a bit, told me Deeks rescued him." Callen explained. "It sounds bad, but he's actually lucky considering. It's nothing he won't heal from."

Kensi just nodded. She looked up at Callen, and he seemed hesitant to ask the question she knew was coming.

"How's Deeks?" he finally said, breaking the silence.

She looked over at her partner, hooked up to countless machines, the steady _beep beep beep _of the heart monitor. She took an even deeper breath than Callen before starting.

"Um, he needs pretty extensive mouth surgery to fill in all the teeth they drilled into. His mouth is pretty torn up…they're gonna wait till he wakes up though, to perform the surgery. He has burns on his legs like Sam." Kensi paused, steadying her shaking breathing. She could feel tears burning behind her eyes, but she pushed them back, creating a fist so hard she left nail marks in her palm. "He's got a pretty nasty laceration along his forearm that will require a few stiches. He has several more incised wounds on his arms and one or two on his chest…"

Kensi stood, needing to move around as she stumbled through all her partner's wounds. She needed something to do other than fight back tears.

"He, uh…he has three broken fingers on his left hand, one on his right. He's got a broken rib that luckily missed his lungs. Bruises…everywhere. Scrapes, cuts. Some blood loss. Dehydration…" she cut off again, pretty sure she had started rambling at the end.

Kensi balled her hands into fists, pacing back and forth, clenching her jaw to keep herself from screaming out in anger and frustration and to keep those _god-damn tears back. _She had to calm down. She was freaking out. She wasn't supposed to freak out. _You're Kensi Blye, _she told herself. _You are kick-ass Kensi Blye and you are not supposed to cry, especially over your partner. Not like this…_ But was that all he was? Just her partner? No, he was also her best friend…but even that didn't seem like a good enough description for their 'thing'. Did they have a thing? Of course, they had a thing. For goodness sakes, Deeks had made their thing official when he kissed her…_when he kissed her. _

Those tears she had been trying so hard to keep at bay spilled, just a few sliding down her cheeks. She wiped them away with the sleeve of her jacket, purposely not looking at Callen, who had been silent during her update on Deeks.

"Kens, you okay?" he asked softly, eyeing her worriedly.

"Yeah…I'm fine…" the last part came out as barely a whisper. She started shaking her head slowly, a few more tears slipping down her cheeks as Callen pulled her into his embrace.

The complete brotherliness of his actions stopped those stupid tears and comforted her. They stood in silence for a few minutes, just taking in the fact that they had each other to lean on for support when their partners weren't there to provide it as they usually did. After a few minutes, Callen stepped back.

"I'm sorry," Kensi mumbled.

"Don't be." Callen smiled. "You know, I told you Sam had been awake for a little bit,"

"Yeah?" she prompted.

"He told me something. He told me that, Deeks had been the one they paid the most attention to. And he told me that Deeks didn't give up. Not once. He said that, when Deeks wakes up, you should ask him what thought got him through it." Callen said.

"What thought?" she repeated.

"That's what he said. I'm gonna go fill Hetty in. Do you need anything?" he asked.

"No, I'm good. Thanks, G."

Callen nodded, then left the room. Kensi slumped back into the chair she had been sitting in, her legs suddenly turning to jello. At least—in the private room's that Sam and Callen had gotten—the chairs weren't hard plastic like usual. And there was a couch in one corner of Deeks' room. Kensi had a feeling that couch would be her bed for a while.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

Callen slumped down in the chair beside Hetty, in the hallway outside of Deeks' and Sam's adjacent rooms in the hospital. Hetty regarded him silently. Callen knew he needed to update her on Sam and Deeks' conditions, but talking about what bad shape his colleagues were in was the last thing he wanted to talk about. So he wasn't really sure why he came to talk to Hetty. Maybe because she could sense everything he was feeling, could know everything he wanted to tell her just by looking at him.

"How is Kensi doing?" Hetty asked quietly, folding her small hands across her lap.

Callen almost smiled because her feet barely touched the ground, just the toes of her shoes grazing the pristine white tiles.

"Trying to keep it together," he responded. "You know Kensi; she hates to admit when she's struggling."

"Yes, she is stubborn that way." Hetty smiled a little; a fond smile like that of a mother talking about her children. And in a way, they _were _her children. She never had any of her own, but she had adopted them all.

"I'm just worried about what she'll do when we confront Sidorov," Callen said, voicing his thoughts.

"Yes, that is a concern of mine also, but I don't doubt her ability, Mr. Callen. I don't doubt that she will always do the right thing," Hetty said. "Kensi is strong."

"Yeah, she is," Callen agreed. "I just…when it comes to Deeks…"

"Is it not the same for you and Sam? Would you not do _anything _for your partner?" Hetty asked.

"Of course I would. But you saw what happened, Hetty," Callen argued, knowing full well that Hetty knew what he was talking about.

"Yes, I did."

"So…" Callen trailed off, suppressing a frustrated groan. "You're being cryptic again."

Hetty smirked. The smile fade and she pursed her lips, thoughtful, planning what she was going to say next.

"I did, indeed, witness the moment that passed between Ms. Blye and Mr. Deeks. I'm sure you're wondering if I plan to do anything about it," Hetty looked at him, confirming her theory. "the truth is, I don't. Plan on doing anything about it, that is."

Callen blinked, confused. "You don't?"

"No. They are consenting adults, for one, Mr. Callen. And though policy advises against dating amongst co-workers, you cannot tell me that Kensi has not been better since Mr. Deeks joined us." Hetty explained.

"She has, yeah, I guess." Callen agreed.

Hetty took a deep breath and Callen knew she was about to plunge into a story. "Since Kensi has worked for NCIS, she has always been distant, closed up. Most of that, of course, had to do with the death of her father. And then, with the disappearance and then death of Mr. Vail, that made her all the more determined to build a wall around herself, to protect herself. And then Mr. Deeks came along. I have never seen Kensi so open and _happy_ with anyone else, Mr. Callen. And though she trusts you and Mr. Hanna, it is not the same trust, not the same bond she shares with Deeks. He is good for her."

"So you're going to turn a blind eye?" Callen asked, and seeing her point, Callen kind of hoped the answer would be yes. Kensi was like a sister to him, and even he had to admit that Kensi was so much more herself when Deeks was around.

"Yes. Personally I don't think it will affect their work, seeing as they are already so close and able to perform perfectly fine in the field. If it does affect their work, I will, of course, act on it, but it was one little kiss, Mr. Callen. Do I believe it will become something more? Yes, but Kensi is strong. They both are. And they both know the job comes first." Hetty gave him another knowing look. "Besides, it's not really any of your business, now is it?"

Callen gave a little chuckle. "No, I guess it's not. Like you said, not until their work is affected. And I don't think it will be,"

"Good. I think we can both agree that this conversation is over." Hetty said.

"Yes." Callen sighed, looking towards Sam's room. "I'm gonna go see how Sam's doing. Do you need anything."

"I am quite alright, Mr. Callen." Hetty smiled. "Go. Be with your partner."

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

Kensi didn't know how long she sat in that chair by Deeks' bed. Seconds felt like minutes and minutes felt like hours. Finally, after an eternity of watching him sleep, she moved to the couch to get some sleep of her own. Sleep came quicker than she thought it would. She wished it hadn't, though, because her dreams turned into nightmares. Nightmares that all revolved around Deeks, bloody, bruised, clothes torn, mouth and chin red with blood. And there was Sidorov, laughing, taunting her Russian. And though it was just a dream, when Deeks screamed, Kensi knew she would never forget that sound.

When she woke up, sunlight was streaming through the blinds on the window and Hetty was beside her, a cup of tea in hand. Kensi looked down to see that someone had removed her shoes and covered her with a blanket.

"How long was I asleep?" Kensi asked, her voice rough.

"About fourteen hours," Hetty replied simply, handing Kensi a cup of coffee.

"Fourteen hours?" Kensi muttered. She glanced down at her watch. 10:04 A.M.

"Mr. Callen said he didn't want to wake you. He figured it was probably the best you'd slept in days. He's the one who gave you the blanket." Hetty explained.

"Deeks?" Kensi asked, looking at her partner who didn't appear to have moved over the course of her rest.

"He hasn't woken up yet. He's still stable." Hetty said, taking a sip of her tea.

"Sam?" Kensi asked next, knowing fourteen hours was a long time.

"He's awake right now. You can go see him if you like." Hetty said, and Kensi noticed she looked relieved at the fact that at least one of her agents had woken up.

Kensi looked over at Deeks, biting her bottom lip. She knew she should go see Sam, she wanted to go see him, but she didn't want to leave her partner.

"Go see Sam, Kensi. I will stay here with Mr. Deeks." Hetty said, a kind smile gracing her lips.

Kensi nodded. She got up, and with one last look at Deeks, left and went next door to Sam's room. Callen and Michelle were both there, coffee in hand, laughing. The sight brought a smile to her face. When they saw her, Callen and Michelle greeted her with smiles. But the biggest smile was worn by Sam.

"Hey, Sam. Good to see you," she said, taking a seat next to Michelle by his bed.

"Good to see you, too, Kens. I was beginning to think you were gonna spend all your time with Shaggy," Sam joked, and they all laughed.

"He hasn't even woken up yet, so you're a little bit more fun," she replied.

"Probably hasn't woken up 'cause he's afraid of what you'll do," Callen replied.

"Yeah, he's probably afraid you'll kick his ass for getting himself kidnaped by Russians." Sam added.

Kensi was glad they were joking about the situation. It made it seem not quite so bad, and she needed to smile.

"Yeah, well he saved your ass only to get kidnapped by Russians," Kensi said, eyeing Sam, who looked a little embarrassed.

"Yeah, you're never gonna live that one down, partner," Callen added, smirking.

"Shut up," Sam said, and they laughed some more.

They spent another good half hour talking, laughing, joking, and trying to decide where Sam should take Michelle out to eat as a sorry for scaring the hell out of her, after he was released from the hospital. Soon enough though, Sam looked like he was going to pass out from exhaustion, so Kensi left, Callen following, shutting the door to Sam's room quietly behind him. As Kensi approached Deeks' room, Callen stopped her.

"Hey, Kensi, why don't you take a break. You should go home, shower, change, eat something other than hospital cafeteria food," Callen suggested with a smile.

"Callen, I don't want to. I'll be fine," she insisted, but Callen was just as stubborn as she was.

"I'll stay with Deeks, okay? Besides, I doubt he'll wake up without you around anyway. And if he does, I'll knock him out again just to be sure you're there when he wakes up." Callen said.

Kensi scoffed, but couldn't keep the smile off her face. A shower didn't sound too bad. And neither did ice cream for breakfast. Plus, she had to feed Monty.

"Okay, fine. I'll be back in two hours at the latest." She promised.

Callen nodded, then went to go sit with Hetty in Deeks' room.

Kensi drove home, and was greeted by Monty. She smiled, laughing as the shaggy dog got all excited. She let him out to go to the bathroom, then fed and watered him. She made herself some toast and prepped another cup of coffee for herself, the caffeine buzzing through her veins making her feel better. When she finished eating, she took a quick shower, simply letting her damp hair fall down around her shoulders. She changed into a fresh pair of jeans, a tank top, and a sweatshirt. By the time she got back to the hospital, she had only been gone for 57 minutes.

When Kensi sat back down by Deeks' bedside, Hetty and Callen left, Hetty ordering Callen to go home and freshen up, too. Hetty went to Sam's room to take Michelle's spot so Michelle could go home for a bit too. Kensi settled into the chair, watching the beams of sunlight dance across the ceiling. She thought about that, if he wasn't here in the hospital, Deeks would probably be out surfing right now, it being a Saturday and all. It was a great day for surfing. She smiled, remembering when Deeks had taken her surfing. She was okay at surfing, but Deeks was great. It was so much fun to watch him surf, slicing over waves, watching as he controlled the board under his feet, perfectly balanced.

The rustle of sheets snapped Kensi out of her thoughts and drew her eyes to Deeks bed. She watched as his eyes slowly fluttered open and he gave her a cheeky grin, that must've hurt with the damage to his mouth and the bruises on his face. But he smiled anyway, and her heart melted as she was washed with unbelievable relief at the sight of his baby blues.

"Hey, Fern." He whispered gruffly. "Now be honest, how bad do I look?"

**And there's chapter 6 for you guys! Hope you liked it =)**

** Don't forget to REVIEW! I wanna know what you guys think, what parts you liked best, what you think I should change, etc.**

** You guys are absolutely amazing, so I just want to thank you for reading!**

** I will try to update in the next week, if it's a little late, I apologize, but stay tuned, there will be more! Next chapter, some more hospital stuff, what Sidorov's up to, and the start of the road to recovery! So prepare yourselves for some angst!**

** Thanks again for reading!**

** -DaughterOfPoseidon333**


	7. Chapter 7

**You guys blow me away, seriously! THANK YOU for all the reviews and favorites and follows, you guys are awesome! The feedback is so great to read!**

**I don't own NCIS LA.**

**Enjoy!**

Chapter 7

"Hey, Fern." He whispered gruffly. "Now be honest, how bad do I look?"

Kensi couldn't help the smile that spread across her face as he spoke, using the nickname that once annoyed her, but that she now secretly loved. She got up and pulled her chair closer to his bed, sitting right beside him. She wanted to grab his hand, but she was on his left side; the side that had three broken fingers that were covered in metal splints. So instead she touched his arm. Not only to reassure him, but to reassure herself that he was real, that he wasn't going to disappear on her again.

"Hey," she greeted softly. "You're awake finally,"

"How long was I out?" he mumbled.

"Well we rescued you guys yesterday morning…" she trialed off, doing the math in her head. "About thirty hours, give or take. That and the fact that you were gone for three days." She said, trying not to look upset as she mentioned how long she had been partner-less. But Deeks saw right through her, as always.

"Three days…felt like forever," he said, and Kensi saw pain, and a little bit of fear flash in his sapphire eyes momentarily. But it disappeared as he struggled to grin at her again. "Must've been awful not havin' me around."

"Oh, no, it was great. Nice and quiet, no rude jokes, no distracting banter…" she said, feigning seriousness. She watched his face, watched as his smile disappeared, not catching on to her joke. "And it was incredibly boring."

She finished, smiling at him, and there it was again, that grin that made her forget everything else around them.

"Boring, huh? Which pretty much translates to you missed me," Deeks said.

"I did not say that—" Kensi tried to protest.

"Kensi Blye missed me!" he said loudly.

"De—Deeks stop it—!" she tried saying over his shouts, but to no avail. And pretty soon, she gave up, falling into a fit of laughter. Deeks started laughing too, but then broke off with a groan, wincing, and Kensi remembered he had a broken rib.

"Ouch," he muttered. "Okay, no more making me laugh."

"That's what you get," she told him. "And besides, you started it."

"What are you, five? _I _started it? You're the one who's too chicken to admit that you missed me."

"Actually, Monty's the one who missed you. I just didn't want to embarrass him," she said. It was so effortless, the way they fell straight back into their banter.

Deeks was about to say something else, when Callen walked in. Apparently, less than an hour was plenty of time for Callen to go home and clean up.

"Well it's nice to see that some things never change," Callen commented, smirking at the two of them. "I could hear Deeks screaming all the way at the main entrance."

"Hetty's gonna have your ass for comin' back so soon," Kensi told Callen, but he just shrugged.

"Michelle called. Told me to get back as soon as I could to keep an eye on Sam. And despite how much Hetty scares me, Michelle sounded like she'd murder me if I didn't get back here in under an hour." Callen said.

"How is Sam, anyway?" Deeks asked, his face so joyous seconds ago now turned serious.

Callen looked at Deeks and gave him a friendly, sincere smile. "He's good. He's woken up a couple times. He doesn't stay awake long. His doctor said that the electrocution really wore out his body, so mostly his body just needs to recharge. He'll be fine. You both will."

And that was why Callen was team leader. Because even in the worst situations, he gave them all strength, gave them all a comfort they wouldn't be able to achieve on their own. He glued them together, kept them as together as a whole. He reassured them and it made it seem like nothing bad would ever happen. And if something bad _did _happen, they would pull out of it, no questions asked.

"It's good to see you awake, though, Deeks." Callen told the detective. "I better go check on Sam. I'll be sure to send the doctor to your room on the way."

Kensi watched as Callen left again. She and Deeks were silent till the doctor—a fairly tall man with kind brown eyes, and streaks of gray in his brown hair to go with his receding hairline—came in with a nurse. The nurse checked Deeks fluids and the bandages they had put on his more major wounds till they had time to properly dress them when he was awake. Kensi noticed that while the nurse was pretty—blonde, petite, nice smile—Deeks barely gave her a second look. The thought made her happy, and she glanced down at her hand, still resting lightly on Deeks' arm.

"Mr. Deeks, I'm Doctor Steven Shaw. How are you feeling?" the doctor—Dr. Shaw—asked, and Kensi suppressed the urge to roll her eyes at the stereotypical _"how are you feeling?"_ question. Looking at Deeks, she could tell he was thinking the same thing.

"I feel okay, I guess." Deeks replied.

"That's good. If you wouldn't mind, we brought in a dental surgeon who will be repairing your teeth, and I would advise that we get you in there as soon as possible." Dr. Shaw said.

Kensi looked at Deeks when he didn't answer right away. She saw that hint of fear flash in his eyes again. She didn't have to guess why he was afraid. She had seen the bloody instruments that had been used to inflict pain onto her partner, among them had been a drill. And there were holes in his teeth, cuts in his gums; it wasn't all that hard to figure out what they had done. Kensi gave his arm a gentle squeeze. He looked over at her and she nodded, trying to convey to him that it was going to be okay.

"Yeah, okay, Doc." Deeks finally said.

The doctor called in another nurse to help with Deeks, and in a couple of minutes, they had him in a wheelchair, ready to be rolled to the operation room. Kensi attempted to follow Deeks and his escorts, when the blonde nurse held up a hand to stop her.

"I'm sorry, miss. You're going to have to stay here." she said. It was polite enough, but that didn't keep Kensi from getting annoyed. Kensi was about to protest, but Deeks spoke up instead.

"She's coming." He said as firmly as he could.

"I'm sorry, sir, but—" the nurse tried to say.

"She's coming. She's coming or I'm not going." Deeks repeated.

The nurse looked at Dr. Shaw. The doctor looked impressed, and maybe a little amused, at Deeks' mild threat. Apparently they didn't get too many patients who defied them.

"It's fine, Carol, she can come." Dr. Shaw said.

As they started walking again, Dr. Shaw leading them through the white halls of the hospital, Kensi leaned down by Deeks.

"Thank you," she said quietly, so Nurse Carol, last in line of their little group, couldn't hear.

"No problem, Princess," he grinned.

Kensi scoffed and rolled her eyes at his cockiness. Still, she wasn't really annoyed with him, and he knew it. So his grin grew, and she had to resist the urge to punch him in the arm. That probably wouldn't go over too well with Dr. Shaw and Nurse Carol.

Dr. Shaw paused at a door and held it open for the nurse that was pushing Deeks' wheelchair. Kensi went in after Deeks, shooting Nurse Carol a smug look as she pushed in ahead of her. Dr. Shaw came in last. Dr. Shaw gestured with an open hand to the older woman, probably in her forties, who had been waiting for them.

"Mr. Deeks, Ms…" Dr. Shaw trailed off.

"Blye," Kensi finished for him.

Dr. Shaw nodded, and continued. "This is our dental surgeon, Dr. Elizabeth Mason. She'll be performing the work on your teeth today, Mr. Deeks."

Deeks nodded and the nurses and doctors went to work, putting on aprons and gloves and masks. The nurses helped Deeks into the awaiting bed. Dr. Shaw gave Kensi and full-body apron that and a mask and cap. As Kensi put on her apron, she watched Deeks. He was tense, she could tell that much. And he was eyeing Dr. Mason's dental tools apprehensively. Kensi knew that he was about two seconds from freaking out.

"Could Deeks and I have a minute, please?" Kensi said loudly, looking between Dr. Shaw and Dr. Mason.

The two doctors exchanged a glance and nodded.

"Sure," Dr. Mason said kindly. "just tell us when you're ready."

The doctors and nurses shuffled out of the room, the door falling shut behind them with a soft click.

"You're really rocking the whole cap and gown look there, Kens," Deeks joked.

"Oh, shut up. That hospital gown of yours isn't much better." She shot back playfully.

She went over to stand by the right side of his bed, taking the hand with only one broken finger in hers. "How are you doin'?"

"I dunno," Deeks muttered, not meeting her eyes.

"Look, Deeks, you can do this. I know you can. You survived three days of…you know."

"It's okay, Kens. You can say torture." He told her.

"You're one of the strongest people I know, Deeks. You can do this. And I'll be right here the whole time, okay?" she said soothingly.

He was silent for a moment longer, then he nodded. Kensi gave him one more reassuring smile, then put her face mask on, and he laughed. Kensi laughed too, because she was pretty sure she looked very interesting in the apron, face mask, and cap. She called everyone back in, then went to stand at the head of Deeks' bed, giving him a thumbs up as they brought out the Novocain and started to numb up his mouth. A little over two hours later, Deeks was back in his hospital room, all seven of his drilled into teeth filled with a tooth-colored resin. Kensi had just been sitting by his bed, watching him sleep, when Callen came in.

"Hetty done chewin' you out for not taking a very good break?" she asked with a smile.

"Funny, Kens," he laughed. "Nah, she wasn't really upset. I'm pretty sure she knew she wasn't going to keep me away for very long."

"Is Michelle back?" she asked.

"Yeah. She came back when Deeks was getting his teeth filled. How'd that go, anyway?"

"Not bad." She replied. "He only got nervous when the dental surgeon had to use the drill."

"Well, that's understandable." Callen agreed, looking over at their sleeping friend. "Anyway, I actually came in here to tell you that Hetty wants us in OPS."

"Okay," she said reluctantly.

"Don't worry, Kens." Callen reassured her. "We've got agents posted outside Deeks' and Sam's rooms, and Michelle's gonna keep an eye on both of them."

That did make her feel better about leaving. She stood and followed Callen out, casting one last glance at her sleeping partner.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

Callen walked through the sliding doors of OPS with Kensi on his heels. Hetty was already waiting for them. Nell and Eric were there too, and Callen noticed how tired the two analysts looked. They were _all _tired. He wondered how long it had been since any of them had gotten a decent night's sleep.

"So what've we got?" Callen asked.

Nell didn't even stand up like she usually did to give them updates. "We tracked Sidorov's SUV to a parking lot. He ditched the vehicle and his burn phone, but Michelle slipped a GPS tracker into his jacket. We tracked it to a parking lot about five miles from the warehouse where he stole another SUV. A black GMC that we tracked to a hotel downtown."

"He checked in yesterday afternoon, after the raid," Eric added. "We have access to all the cameras in the hotel and around it. He hasn't left. The GPS tracker we slipped on him confirms that."

"Have there been any calls from his room?" Callen asked.

"No," Eric answered. "But this morning, about an hour ago, we caught footage from outside the hotel. Four Russians, that we identified as ex-Russian Special Forces, entered the building."

"Using the hotel's hallway cameras, the four Russians went to Sidorov's room." Nell finished.

"So he's got back up," Kensi said. "What now?"

"Uh, guys," Eric started, furiously clacking away on his keyboard, eyes glued to the screen in front of him. "A call's being made to from his room right now. He's using a satellite phone."

"Tracing the call," Nell narrated absently.

"Can you get audio?" Callen asked.

"Hang on," Nell told him.

There was silence for a moment.

"Nell?" Callen asked.

"Looks like he's contacting the Iranians," Eric said.

"That makes sense," Kensi said. "He's gotta be pretty eager now to get rid of the bombs."

"Audio up in minute, guys," Nell stated.

A few seconds later, there was the crackle of static over the big screen's speakers, then Sidorov's voice broke through.

_"When?" _the Russian said.

_"Well not now, that's for sure," _a voice replied, no doubt from one of the Iranians. _"I heard about your little run in with the cops. And you're sure it's safe to sell the bombs?"_

_ "Yes, I am sure. Now I'll ask again, when?" _Sidorov replied, sounding impatient. Callen tried not to get too angry. After all, it's not like Sidorov was in the room. This was just a phone call.

_"In one week from today. One P.M. Your house, where I dropped off the money. That would be the last place the cops will check."_

There was a pause on Sidorov's end.

_"Fine." _The Russian replied. _"I want this done quickly. No funny business. You bring the money, I will bring the bombs."_

_ "Deal. See you then."_

The line went dead. Callen glanced over at Kensi, a victorious smile on his face. She returned the smile. One week from now, they were finally going to get the son of a bitch that had kidnapped their partners. One week from now, this would all be over, and he might actually sleep decently.

Even Hetty looked pleased at the break they'd just caught. "Mr. Callen, Ms. Blye, I'd mark next Friday on your calendars if I were you."

**So there's chapter 7! It was a little shorter, not a whole lot of action, but next chapter will be taking down Sidorov, Deeks and Sam talk about their trust issues and getting released from the hospital, and the aftermath of the whole case. The last chapters (8 9, and 10) will all be longer.**

** REVIEW guys! Tell me what you think! The feedback helps a lot!**

** Thanks for reading! You guys are so amazing for it!**

** -DaughterOfPoseidon333**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey guys! So, here we are, chapter 8. Let me just say that I couldn't have gotten this far without you guys. The feedback is so amazing! The favorites, follows, reviews, they all make me so happy! So THANK YOU!**

**I don't own NCIS LA.**

**Enjoy!**

Chapter 8

It had been nearly a week since Kensi and Callen had gotten the lead on Sidorov. Tomorrow was Friday, the day it was all going down, the day this would all finally be over. She hadn't mentioned the lead to Deeks yet, just because she didn't want him to worry. And she didn't want him doing anything stupid.

Over the past six days, Kensi had checked on Monty each day and gone home each night to shower, change, and sleep. But most of her time was spent at the hospital, keeping Deeks company. They were currently playing about their hundredth game of Go-Fish. They had switched off between card games, but it almost always came back to Go-Fish. Partly because quite a few of their card-game-options were thrown out the window due to Deeks' broken fingers. But mostly because Kensi still hadn't lost once.

Kensi gathered up all the playing cards and began shuffling them again, a smug smile on her face. "I win. Again."

"Yeah, yeah. You said that the last time. And the time before that. And the time before that—" Deeks replied.

"You're just bitter because you keep losing," she smirked.

"I bet you've got a camera on me and Eric is the little computer geek on your shoulder telling you all the cards I have." Deeks said.

"Nope," she said, popping the '_p_'. "This is all me. Though, that camera thing _is _a good idea. Maybe I'll have to use that when we're playing poker."

Deeks didn't say anything as she started dealing the cards again. Kensi considered asking him the question that had been nagging at the back of her mind since day one in the hospital. Callen's words—or Sam's words, depending how she looked at it—echoed in her head: _"When Deeks wakes up, you should ask him what thought got him through it"_. She was about to say something, but Deeks spoke first.

"You know, Kens, you don't have to stay here with me. I'm sure you're bored out of your mind. I know _I _am." Deeks told her.

"Well, it's either hang here with you or go do a mountain of unfinished paperwork. I've decided that you're more fun." She smiled.

"Well, I'm honored that you think of me as more entertaining than paperwork," he joked back. "I guess I don't mind you being here. It's better than hanging with Nurse Carol. She's been like Oscar the Grouch ever since you insisted on coming with me to my mouth surgery."

"Oh, _I _insisted?" she scoffed. "I'm pretty sure that was you. You're the one who said that if I wasn't coming, you weren't going."

"Yeah, well, she gives me the stink-eye whenever I tell her to bring extra Jello for you,"

"I'm sure she's just got a crush on you," she teased.

Deeks shuddered dramatically. "Thank you, Kensi. Now I have brain-stabbing imagery of her asking me out with a hypodermic needle in her hand. You know how much I hate needles."

"Oh, I remember. The last time you had to get a shot, you passed out." She laughed at the memory.

"Laugh all you want, Fern, but needles are scary. They're pointy and they go inside you and…wow. That came out way more wrong than I intended it to." Deeks gave her a crooked smile, the one he did whenever he said something stupid and awkward. She loved that smile. And it always made her smile back.

Kensi momentarily flashed back to the kiss. They hadn't talked about it yet. There had been brief moments where they would both fall silent, just looking at each other, and Kensi knew they were both thinking about it, but they never actually said anything. And it was happening now. Deeks noticed her sudden silence and looked at her, his beautiful blues examining her face. As she looked back at him, for the first time it seemed like one of them would say something. But just then, Callen appeared in the doorway. Kensi glanced away from Deeks quickly, and Deeks cleared his throat.

Callen's eyes darted in between them curiously. "Am I interrupting something?"

"No," Kensi said.

"Not at all," Deeks added.

"Okay, whatever you say," Callen smirked. "Anyway, Hetty wants us in OPS. She wants to debrief us on all we have before tomorrow."

"Okay, I'll be right there." She said quickly, knowing Deeks was two seconds away from asking what was happening tomorrow.

"Sure, see ya there." And then Callen was gone.

"Kensi," Deeks started slowly. "What's happening tomorrow?"

She took a deep breath and looked back at her partner. The bruises on her face were yellowing; by next week they would be gone. His fingers would take at least three weeks to heal, and his broken rib six weeks. The laceration on his arm was healing well. He'd even be able to get the stiches taken out soon. The burns on his legs were healing as well. All in all, he was doing okay, physically anyway.

The selfish part of her wanted to keep Deeks in the dark until the bombs were retrieved and Sidorov was behind bars. But for that exact same reason—selfishness—she knew she couldn't do that.

"Last week, after your surgery, we got a lead on Sidorov." She looked at Deeks, and saw his features change from confused curiosity to seriousness in a matter of seconds. "We found that he checked into a hotel and made contact with the Iranians. He's gonna sell the bombs tomorrow."

Deeks was silent. But she understood.

"Look, Deeks, you have every right to be angry with me, is should've told you, I just—"

"Wanted to protect me, I know. I probably would've done the same thing. But I do have a right to know. This is my case, too." He said, a lot more gently than she expected.

"I'm sorry. I just didn't want you to worry." She replied, a little sheepishly.

"I'm always gonna worry, Kens. Especially when I can't have your back. _Believe me, _there is nothing more I'd like than to get out of this stupid bed and help you. But we both know that's not going to happen. So just do me a favor and kick Sidorov's ass for me," Deeks grinned.

"Yeah, okay. I mean it though, if I find out later that you tried doing something stupid to help, I will kick _your _ass right back into this hospital bed, new wounds and all." She threatened.

"Scout's honor, I won't do anything stupid," he replied, holding up a hand.

"You were never a scout," she accused.

"You better get goin', Princess. Don't want to keep Hetty waiting." He said.

"If I don't see you anymore tonight, I'll stop by tomorrow after we get him, okay?"

"I'll hold you to that,"

Kensi turned to leave, but Deeks called her back.

"Hey, maybe you could smuggle in a cheeseburger for me? I'm tired of hospital food," he pleaded.

"Yeah, I'd have to get it past Nurse Carol first," she reasoned.

"You're Kick-Ass Kensi Blye, remember? You could con your way past anyone,"

"Get some sleep, Deeks." she said quietly, then turned and walked out of his room.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

With a sigh, Deeks watched Kensi leave. He wished she didn't have to go. And even though he'd told her not long before, that she didn't really have to hang out here with him, he was glad with her responding that she wanted to. Mostly though, he wished he could have her back tomorrow. He didn't want her to go after Sidorov alone. _She won't be _alone _you idiot, _he told himself, _she'll be with Callen. But she won't be with me, _he thought. He knew Callen would have her back, but he wanted so badly for it to be him. But that wasn't happening because every time he made a sudden move, his broken rib felt like it was on fire. Plus he couldn't exactly hold a gun with his broken fingers. He was just frustrated. It was his job to have her back, and her job to have his. They were partners. _Partners that kissed, remember? _The little voice in his head amended.

It didn't really matter that they'd kissed…okay, that was a lie. He just kept telling himself it didn't matter because neither of them had brought it up since he'd woken up. He wasn't really sure what to say. He knew what he _wanted _to say, he just didn't know _how _to say it. And even if he did, Kensi made him too tongue-tied to even attempt to get the words out.

Groaning in frustration and the utter boredom of having laid in a hospital bed for over a week, he threw his head back against his pillow, wincing a little as his rib sent little arcs of pain stabbing through his body. He was about to close his eyes, try and get some sleep as Kensi had advised, but he turned when he heard a familiar voice greet him form the doorway.

"Sam," Deeks said in surprise.

He watched as Sam nodded in acknowledgment and hobbled slowly into the room. He made his way over to the chair that Kensi had occupied minutes before and fell heavily into the seat.

"So, they're lettin' you move around a bit?" Deeks asked, noticing the tiny beads of sweat that had accumulated on Sam's forehead from the effort of moving around for the first time in days.

"Yeah, a little," Sam replied. "It's exhausting, but the sooner I can move around the better. Then I can get out of this place,"

"Yeah, I know what you mean," Deeks agreed.

Sam was wearing linen pants and a plain white t-shirt, the exact same thing as Deeks was wearing. Sam had a splint on his broken finger, and bandages around the still-healing burns on his wrists. His superficial cuts in scrapes were scabbed over, and his bruises were fading.

There was a tense silence between them. Deeks waited for Sam to say something.

"I came here because I wanted…" Sam started then trailed off, looking a little embarrassed, maybe a little at loss for words. Sam cleared his throat. "I came here because I wanted to apologize, Deeks."

"For what?" Deeks asked, even though he was pretty sure what Sam was apologizing for.

"Not trusting you," Sam admitted. "I was wrong. And that's not an easy thing for me to admit, because I don't like being wrong. But… I said some things to you…and I just—I should've trusted you. So I'm sorry I didn't. You—you…you're stronger than I gave you credit for."

Deeks didn't quite know what to say. Sam was never Mr. Sensitive around him, nor was he real sharing and caring about his feelings either. So to hear Sam make that kind of confession, especially to him, was a little shocking. But it also made Deeks feel just the slightest bit angry. Part of Sam not trusting him was what had gotten them into this mess in the first place.

"Sam, look…I hear you. I do. And I would love to accept your apology but…I think it's just gonna take a little bit of time for me." Deeks said, warily looking up at Sam to see the former SEAL's reaction. He looked confused.

"What do you mean?" Sam asked.

"I just…you know, you not trusting me almost got us killed in there, Sam." Deeks explained, and Sam nodded just the slightest, like he understood where Deeks was coming from. "Look…I'm not married. I don't even remember the last time I was in a serious relationship, so I don't know what it's like to have my wife's life on the line, but you're my friend, Sam. And I know what it's like to lose a friend. So, you not trusting me enough to keep Michelle's cover intact…well to be honest, that stung a bit. I guess what I'm saying here, is that I just need a little time to…readjust."

"Okay," Sam said, looking earnest.

"O—okay?" Deeks clarified, confused.

"Yeah. I get it, Deeks. Like I said, I was wrong. So if you just need some time, I'm okay with that. I just hope that you can forgive me at some point. 'Cause, believe it or not, you're my friend too." Sam smiled, then stood, his legs looking a little shaky.

More stunned than before, Deeks watched as Sam walked out of his room, not really sure what to think of everything that had just been said.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

Kensi blinked, her eyes slowly adjusting to the morning light filtering in through the cracks in the curtains over the window in her bedroom. _It's Friday, _she thought. Finally, the day they could end this Sidorov crap was here. Kensi sat up, stretching out her sleep-stiff muscles. Surprisingly, she'd slept pretty well. She glanced over at Monty at the foot of the bed. She knew that Deeks didn't always let Monty sleep in his bed with him, but Kensi didn't have the heart to tell the dog's scruffy, adorable face no.

"Come on, Monty, breakfast time," she called, crawling out of bed and making way to her small kitchen.

Kensi refilled his food and water dish, then popped some bread in the toaster for herself. She poured herself a glass of milk, started making a fresh pot of coffee, knowing she'd need it, then grabbed a plate just as the toaster made a satisfying _ding. _Kensi ate her breakfast in silence; the only noises were the coffee maker and Monty as he crunched his dog food.

After taking Monty outside to go to the bathroom, she made her way to her own bathroom. She showered quickly and got dressed just as fast in jeans, a black, long-sleeve Henley tee, and her favorite boots. She dried her hair, and pulled it up into a ponytail. She grabbed her bag and walked back into the kitchen, pouring herself a cup of coffee, and headed out the door, telling Monty a quick good-bye.

As she made her way to her car, Kensi actually felt a little excited. She was eager to finally put this case to rest. As she climbed in the driver's seat and turned on her radio to an alternative station, she smiled.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

Friday morning, Deeks sat in his hospital bed, staring up at the ceiling, counting the white tiles up there. He was at 73 when he heard a knock at his door.

"Come in!" he called, and turned to see Nell poke her head in. "Hey there little red thing, what's up?" he greeted her with a smile that she returned.

"Hey, Deeks. You have your laptop, right?" she asked.

Deeks handed her his laptop, which Kensi had brought to him a few days ago after he started whining about not having been on the internet for days.

"Right down to business, I see," he commented, watching as she typed furiously away on his computer.

"Here," she said, handing it back to him. "I secured your laptop; nobody will be able to hack through the firewall now. Hetty thought that even if you couldn't be in on the mission physically, that you might just want to be there spiritually instead."

Curious, Deeks looked at his computer screen. On it, were six different video feeds—two of which were moving, like they were attached to somebody. They all showed different angles of Sidorov's house.

"The meet's at Sidorov's house," Nell explained. "Kensi and Callen are waiting with the two SWAT teams they called in. we're just waiting for the Iranians to show up with the money.

Looking at one of the video boxes, Deeks saw the pool he pulled Sam out of. Sidorov—surrounded by four ugly henchmen—was sitting at a little table next to it, drinking expensive liquor that would take Deeks a decade to save up for.

"Oh, here," Nell said, handing Deeks a regular looking Bluetooth earpiece.

"Am I going to be taking conference calls or something?" he asked.

"No," Nell laughed. "Your com's in there. Just didn't want to draw suspicion in case you have any unwanted visitors."

"Smart," Deeks commented, putting the disguised com in his ear. He turned in on, and he heard the crackle of voices.

_"Agent Callen, two blue SUVs coming up the drive, heading your way." _A voice said.

_"Copy that, Briggs." _Came Callen's response. _"Kens, you get that?"_

_ "Yeah," _Kensi responded, and Deeks had to fight the urge to grin hugely when he heard her voice.

Instead he kept his eyes on the screen in front of him, watching as the camera that must've been Kensi's bobbed a little as she shifted in her position.

"Sam's online with you guys, too." Nell told him. "I better get back to OPS."

"Thanks, Nell." He said, and he listened as her footsteps retreated out the door and down the hall.

Deeks watched the video feeds, watched as the Iranians pulled up to Sidorov's house and the two arm dealers shook hands and exchanged pleasantries like they were Facebook friends or something. The minutes inched by slowly, until finally, Deeks watched as one of the Iranian henchmen brought out several briefcases, opened one up, and displayed hundreds of thousands of dollars before the Russian. Sidorov smiled, obviously pleased. He gestured for the Iranians to follow him, and he led them to a driveway, where Deeks noticed a simple white truck, about the size of a larger U-Haul truck. Sidorov opened up the back of the truck and the Iranians looked inside.

_"Does anyone have a visual inside the truck?" _Callen asked.

_"Negative, Agent Callen. None of my teams can get a good look," _Briggs reported.

_"Eric?" _Callen asked.

_"I'm trying to find a street camera that can get a better view of the driveway," _Eric said.

_"Callen, I'm gonna move closer to try and get a better look," _Kensi said, and her camera bounced as she moved around Sidorov's house.

Deeks tried not to freak out about her sneaking around a Russian arms dealer's house without him there to back her up. He was, in a hospital, after all. The last thing he needed to do was explain to Nurse Carol why he was talking about nukes and secret missions.

He watched as Kensi moved, and she ended up in the same spot that he had been with her the first time they had been at Sidorov's house, before Sam got thrown in a pool, before they got tortured. _Right before you kissed her,_ a part of his brain thought. Kensi seemed to pause, as if she was thinking about that kiss to. But then she moved again. She was almost in view of the back of the truck. She was getting dangerously close to the bad guys, but Deeks knew she could do it. Almost as if hearing his silent encouragement, Kensi inched to the left a few more feet, putting her line of vision right into the back of the truck. The stood still so Eric could get a clear picture of the remaining bombs.

_"Eric, you getting this?" _Kensi said quietly.

_"Got it, Kens." _Eric responded.

_"All teams, move in. On my three," _Callen ordered. _"One…two…three!"_

There was a collective _"NCIS! Hands in the air!" _from Callen and Kensi. The SWAT teams moved in, the shocked Sidorov and Iranians' not even having time to react, before their hands were bound behind them.

_"Sidorov's in custody. The bombs have been secured by the SWAT team, Hetty." _Callen reported, and even he sounded happy.

"Hell yeah!" Deeks shouted, not being able to help himself. He could hear the chatter of excited voices over his com at their victory. He could even hear Sam next door talking to Callen over his com.

His excitement momentarily deflated when Nurse Carol poked her head into his room, suspiciously eyeing his laptop and disguised com.

"Uh… really intense video game," he said, trying for a charming smile that seemed to only make her more suspicious.

She rolled her eyes, annoyed, but left him in peace once again.

"Nurse Carol checking up on you?" Kensi laughed over his com.

"Maybe," he muttered.

There was a brief silence as they soaked up the fact that they'd beat Sidorov finally.

"Told you we'd get him," Kensi said.

"Someone sounds smug," Deeks commented.

He could almost see her shrug. "Maybe a little. Guess we'll have to celebrate, huh? Guess I should smuggle in those burgers after all."

"Can't wait, Princess,"

An hour later, the rest of the team filed into Deeks room—Kensi, Callen, Sam, helped by Michelle, Nell, Eric, and Hetty. It was lunch time, and instead of having to smuggle in good food, Hetty talked to Doctor Shaw and they were allowed to order pizza and wings and, yes, burgers. Kensi sat in the chair by Deeks bed; Michelle and Sam share the couch, with Callen sitting in a chair beside his partner; and Nell and Eric had dragged in three cushiony chairs for themselves and Hetty. They all sat and chatted and laughed and just bathed in the light of another successful case.

Soon enough, Hetty raised her glass of water—because even Hetty couldn't get the doctors to let them have beer—everyone else following suit. "I propose a toast," she started with a fond smile. "to my wonderful team, for another job well done."

Everyone tapped their cups together, huge smiles all around.

"Oh, and Mr. Hanna, Mr. Deeks, I talked to your doctor, and you are to be released from the hospital next Friday." Hetty said.

"Good," Sam said gruffly. "This place is boring as hell."

"Ditto to that, my friend," Deeks agreed.

He and Sam shared a look. Deeks knew he was still a little mad at Sam, but he also knew that he couldn't stay mad at the big guy for long. He wasn't quite ready to forgive him, but probably by next Friday, when they were so sick and tired of the hospital, maybe then Deeks would be ready to have another little heart-to-heart.

"Ah, don't worry guys," Kensi said. "You'll be back to having push-up contests in no time."

"Even with cracked ribs and a broken finger, I could still kick Deeks' ass," Sam boasted.

"Yeah, well, next time you try and kick my ass, just remember how you got those cracked ribs." Deeks retorted.

"I could've got out of those handcuffs. I just needed a minute," Sam responded.

"Yeah, okay, next time I'll give you a minute then. Have fun drowning,"

Within seconds, everyone was in on the banter. Callen and Kensi were on Sam's side, picking on him as usual. Michelle had taken Deeks side, making fun of her husband. Eric and Nell threw in comments here and there, not really having a side. And Hetty watched all of them warmly, with a smile on her face.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

_1 week later… _

"Shut up, Deeks!" Kensi growled again, trying to fit the key to Deeks apartment into the door knob.

"Ouch! Kensi! Owowowow," Deeks said, squirming.

"Deeks, I'm trying to help you, stop whining!" she snapped. She struggled to keep her one arm around him to support him _and _unlock his apartment.

"Ha!" she exclaimed as she finally got the key in the lock and gave it a twist. She grabbed the keys and nudged the door open with her foot.

Within seconds, Monty was trying to jump on Deeks, extremely excited to see his owner. Kensi had brought Monty back to Deeks apartment the night before, so the pup was there for Deeks homecoming. Kensi wasn't quick enough to put an arm out to restrain Monty, and the dog leaped up, kicking Deeks with his front paws, right in the groin.

Kensi couldn't help but laugh as Deeks doubled over with a groan.

"Sorry, Deeks, I—" she broke off with a laugh as she led Deeks over to his couch.

"Monty…man…what have we talked about, hitting me there." Deeks griped as she helped him sit down.

"You okay?" she chuckled.

"Awesome," he responded. "You know, it's just…my rib—"

"Yeah, yeah, your rib, I know," she muttered. "I only heard about your rib _all _the way up the stairs."

"Hey, it's not my fault they were fixing the elevator." Deeks replied.

"Yeah, well, you keep acting like a baby, I'm gonna start treating you like one," she threatened, kicking off her shoes, and making her way to his kitchen to grab a beer.

"Does that mean you'll spank me?" Deeks asked her, raising his eyebrows and grinning.

She responded by cuffing him over the head with one of the throw pillows on his couch.

"Hey, do I get one of those?" he said eyeing the beer.

"Not with your prescription. Doctor's orders." She smirked. "Gotta wait till all your pills are gone."

"Dammit," he muttered. "Can you get me some apple juice then?"

"No," she scoffed, settling down on his couch.

"Fine. Make the injured one go get it. I see how it is." Deeks muttered, mock-hurt, and headed into the kitchen, Monty eagerly following on his heels.

As Deeks sat back down, Kensi took in his appearance. The bruises on his face were gone. Most of his minor scratches and scrapes had faded. The laceration on his arm was close to being healed, though it would leave a scar. She knew the burns on his legs were pretty close to being healed too, though they, too, would leave scars. All that was left to heal were his broken bones. She quickly turned her eyes to the TV before he caught her staring at him.

"So," she started. "We've got a whole day ahead of us. What should we watch first?"

**So there's chapter 8 for ya! Hope you liked it!**

**Next chapter we find out that maybe Deeks isn't as healed as Kensi thinks. The next two chapters (which are also the last two chapters) will be all about Deeks and Kensi, with maybe a bit of the team in there. But now work stuff really, just a lot of Densi =)**

**Please REVIEW guys! Tell me what you think! Your feedback really helps, and it just means the world to me!**

**I'll try to update within the next week, but if I don't update by Monday, it'll probably be by Tuesday or Wednesday, so stay tuned!**

**Thanks for reading!**

**-DaughterOfPoseidon333**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey everybody! Okay, so this chapter is a little late, but I was a little busier than I expected this past week. So these next two chapters will pretty much be Deeks and Kensi. The other team members might show up a little, but it'll be mostly Deeks and Kensi =)**

**And, as always, thank you guys so much for all your support! The feedback means everything to me, and I'm just so glad you're all enjoying the story!**

**I don't own NCIS LA. **

**Enjoy!**

Chapter 9

_"Sidorov's in custody. The bombs have been secured by the SWAT team."_

_ 3 Months Later…_

Deeks bolted upright in bed, covered in a thin sheen of cold sweat, and frantically took in his surroundings. It took him a few seconds to realize that he was in his bed, not in Sidorov's warehouse as he had been seconds ago in his nightmare. He was in his apartment in the middle of a Saturday night, he was _not _getting tortured. At Deeks' commotion, Monty, on the floor, lifted his head of his paws to glance at him curiously, a little whine escaping his throat.

"'S'okay, boy. Go back to sleep." Deeks muttered, and his dog laid his head back down with a sigh. Monty had stopped sleeping in bed with him ever since the nightmares started and Deeks had been turned into a tornado of thrashing limbs.

Deeks eased himself over to the side of his bed and pulled open the drawer on his nightstand. Under his gun was a picture of Kensi. He pulled it out whenever his nightmares were especially bad, like tonight, and he couldn't quite shake away the remnants of his dreams or the ghost feelings of that drill in his mouth. It was a great shot of her. Not that she didn't _always _look good, but he especially loved this picture of her. It was from Romania, when they had gone after Hetty, and he and Kensi had been posing as a couple. And Kensi would kill him if she knew that he had kept this single picture. It wasn't like he had a dozen photographs of her, because he knew it was dangerous to have a lot of personal photos, being a cop and all.

Deeks gazed at the picture in hand. In the photo Kensi's hair was up, her eyes twinkled playfully, and the smile on her face made him forget everything for a minute. Sighing, Deeks tucked the photo back in the drawer and shut it.

He stood and headed into the bathroom. Flipping on the light, Deeks went to the sink and let the cold water run till it was absolutely frigid. He splashed his face, his neck, and ran his damp hands through his hair. After shutting the water off and patting his face dry, he looked in the mirror. The nightmares, combined with the lack of sleep because of them, had taken its toll. There were bags under his eyes constantly and he looked pale; not his usual glorious, tan, self.

He'd only been back at work for about two months; but for the first month he'd been confined to his desk doing paperwork and sorting through old cold cases. He'd been in the field again for about a month now, his broken rib healed. He'd been exercising every day, and pretty soon, he knew he'd be pretty much the same as before.

Except he wasn't.

The nightmares were affecting his personality, and he knew that his teammates' could see it. He didn't joke around as much anymore, though he tried his damndest to, because he was Deeks and that's what he was supposed to do. There were times, sitting at his desk, he would zone out, be in that awful chair with that awful drill whirring inside his mouth, and Callen, Sam, or Kensi would have to yell his name five or six times before he snapped out of it.

It hadn't been like this in the hospital because he had been so drugged up, but after he had been released…well that's when the nightmares had started. He knew he should talk to someone. Sam or Kensi would be the best options. Sam knew what he was going through. Deeks had even told Sam when they'd first gotten back to work, about a month after the hospital and Sam's apology, that he'd accepted that apology, that he'd forgiven him. But Deeks was finding it really hard to forget. Things were still a little tense between him and Sam, so he didn't really feel like sitting down and having a heartfelt talk with the big guy.

And then there was Kensi.

Deeks knew he could talk to her, knew he _should _talk to her. She would listen. But he didn't want to admit to her that he was struggling. He remembered how upset she'd been when she had found him covered in blood, bruised and broken. She had _cried. _Kensi Marie Blye, who never cried, had cried _for him _and he didn't want to see her upset like that again, not over this case. It had been three months, and the team was finally putting it behind them. If he talked to her, it would bring it straight back to the surface. It would bring the kiss back to the surface.

They still hadn't talked about it. He knew she hadn't forgotten, because they would look at each other once in a while, and he could practically see her replaying the moment in her head. But she never brought it up, and neither did he. Even when he did try, for that first month back at work, her walls went up and he couldn't get in. it hurt him to see her lock him out because it made the memory of her lips on his burn that much brighter. Sometimes it felt like he couldn't contain the ghost of her kiss and everything he felt would just explode out of him.

But where would that put them?

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

It had been a slow Thursday. No new cases. Just a lot of boring paperwork. Kensi hated paperwork. And it didn't help that she probably had the biggest amount of unfinished reports and files. She could get through her paperwork quickly if she wanted to, she just procrastinated. Kensi blew out a breath, stretching, looking around at the rest of the team. Sam had finished his small pile of unfinished reports and had started distracting Callen, and now the two of them were tossing wadded up paper balls into the various recycling bins around the bullpen. And Deeks, in a very non-Deeks matter, was bent over his desk, completing stack after stack of reports.

Kensi felt a twinge in her gut. He had been…_different _lately. He just hadn't been Deeks. ever since he got out of the hospital. She figured it had something to do with what he'd been through, the torture and all, but he never said anything about it. she wished he _would _talk to her, she wanted to help. But he wouldn't talk to her. Maybe that made them even considering she blew him off every time he tried to bring up the elephant in the room: the kiss.

Even though the kiss had happened three months ago, it still felt like it'd been yesterday. The feeling of his soft, warm lips, the smell of the ocean and sand and soap as Deeks had leaned over her, it was all still present. It was all right there in front of her _all the time_. Part of her wanted to just tell him that she felt the same way, that she wanted him to kiss her all the time. But then another part of her was scared. Unsure. She didn't know what would happen if she actually gave in, and not knowing terrified her.

"Aaanndd…done!" Deeks exclaimed, breaking her out of her thoughts.

He was smiling, but even his smile wasn't the same as he used to be, and she desperately wanted it to be.

"Finished with all my paperwork," Deeks said, triumphant.

"Well, I finished two hours and seventeen minutes ago, so I win," Sam said with a smirk.

Kensi watched as Deeks glanced down at his watch. Then he grabbed his bag and walked over to Hetty's desk. She watched as he shared a few words with Hetty, then turn and head towards the door. Kensi sprang out of her desk dodging a paper ball as she went, and caught up with Deeks.

"Hey!" she called.

Deeks turned a small smile momentarily flitting across his face. "Hey,"

"You going to pick up lunch or something, 'cause I'm starving," she asked, trying to get his old smile to return.

"Actually, no," he admitted. "I have….it's actually a personal thing."

"A personal thing?" she asked, resisting the urge to pry.

"Yeah, so I'll—I'll see you tomorrow, Kens." The corners of his lips quirked up and then he was gone, heading out into the midday sunshine of L.A.

Kensi turned heel and marched over to Hetty's desk.

"Ms. Blye, how can I help you?" Hetty said kindly as Kensi stopped in front of the small woman's desk.

"Deeks came over to talk to you," Kensi started.

"Yes, he did,"

"Where's he going? I know you know, Hetty," she asked.

"I'm afraid I can't tell you that, Kensi." Hetty said, sounding genuinely apologetic as she folded her hands across her desk. "I do believe he said it was personal. Your partner will be fine where he is going. Don't worry."

Seeing as Hetty wasn't going to tell her anything, Kensi dejectedly made her way back to her desk and started on her paperwork again. Callen and Sam looked like they were going to ask her about Deeks, but after seeing her face, didn't say anything, which she was grateful for. After about fifteen minutes, Callen and Sam stood too.

"Where're you guys going?" she asked,

"Gonna go pick up some lunch," Callen answered.

"Don't worry, we'll bring you back something good," Sam promised with a smile.

At least Sam was back to normal.

"Thanks, guys," she smiled back, and watched them disappear around the corner and out the door.

Kensi stared down at her paperwork bitterly. "So I guess it's just you and me now." She muttered, and picked up her pen.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

Deeks thought for sure that Kensi was going to follow him out of the Mission, but he didn't see her familiar silver Cadillac behind him once. But he remembered that she was a secret agent. She wouldn't be dumb enough to be caught trailing him. Deeks pulled up to a non-descript white and gray concrete building, looking down at the card Hetty had given him two days ago to make sure he had the right address. He shut off his car and sat there for a moment, contemplating what he was about to do.

On Tuesday, Deeks had finally talked to Hetty, told her that he wasn't doing so well after the Sidorov case. She had smiled affectionately at him, told him that she understood, and had given him this card. _"If you want to talk to someone, this is the place to go. When you get there, go up to the front desk and tell them Henrietta Lange sent you. They'll take you Dr. Winters then. And Dr. Winters will listen." _Is what she'd told him. Hetty had also told him that needing someone, a professional to talk to about his nightmares, wasn't a sign of weakness. It was a sign of strength, knowing he needed to talk to someone, and that he was planning on doing something about it. it might've been easier with Nate there, but he was off somewhere in the world doing only Hetty knew what. Taking a deep breath, he climbed out of the car.

"Sign of strength, sign of strength," he muttered to himself as he walked up to the glass sliding doors.

He was blasted with a gust of cool air conditioning as he walked inside to a reception area. There were a few people waiting in chairs and there was a woman at the desk, but other than that, the place was relatively empty and quiet. Deeks walked slowly to the front desk.

"Uh, hi. My name is Marty Deeks. I'm here to see a Dr. Winters." Deeks started, waiting for the receptionist to do something, but she just blinked at him. "Uh, Henrietta Lange sent me."

"Oh, well why didn't you say so!" the woman beamed, and pressed a call button that sent a buzzing noise throughout the building.

Within a minute, a blonde nurse with a sweet smile who couldn't have been more than a few inches over five feet appeared and led him through a doorway that required a key card and a fingerprint scan. The nurse, who introduced herself as Elizabeth, escorted Deeks to the end of a long hallway that ended in an elevator with the same keycard/fingerprint pad as the door she had led him through before. Deeks though it was strange for a doctor's office like this to have such high security, but he followed Elizabeth into the elevator anyway. She pressed the button for the tenth floor, the top floor.

When the doors reopened, Elizabeth directed him down the hall and to the left, with Dr. Winters office the fourth on the left. Deeks followed her instructions and padded through the carpeted hallways. He noticed it was a lot busier up here. He saw several offices with patients and doctors inside. There was a small snack counter, where a couple guys waited in line to get coffee. Nurses milled around, talking to anyone and everyone. When Deeks turned the corner, he began counting office doors till he hit fourth door. In neat gold letters it read: DR. SARA WINTERS; PHSYCHIATRIST.

Awesome, so Hetty thought he needed to see a shrink, which he probably did. knowing it was too late to turn back, Deeks lifted a hand to knock but the door swung open. A woman, maybe two or three years older than him, stood in the doorway. She was wearing a black pencil skirt and light ink blouse. The only jewelry she wore was a simple silver chain around her throat. She had straight caramel colored hair that framed her face nicely. Her blue eyes were kind as she looked at him. Deeks knew that if he wasn't so hopelessly in love with Kensi, he would immediately hit on this woman. In love? Did he really just think that? _Yes, idiot, you did, because it's _true, his brain told him. Deeks swallowed to keep himself from smiling for no reason that Dr. Winters would understand.

"You must be Mr. Deeks," she said. "I'm Dr. Sara Winters, please come in."

She stepped aside and he walked into the cozy office. It looked a bit like a stereotypical shrink office, with a large armchair in front of one wall, a couch facing it. There was a dark-wooded desk pushed against one wall, lines with filing cabinets on either side of it. Dr. Winters grabbed a recorder and a clipboard and sat down in her big blue armchair.

"So, Detective—" she started.

"What?" Deeks interrupted, alarm bells going off in his head. "Detective? How—"

"Do I know that you're a detective?" Dr. Snow interrupted, and amused smile on her face. "Didn't Henrietta tell you?"

"Tell me what?" Deeks asked warily.

She laughed. "Henrietta always was secretive. After Nate Getz left NCIS, Henrietta found me. She wanted another psychiatrist on the inside in case one was ever needed. I've done a lot of work with veterans and I have a high security clearance. That's how I know that you are…" she consulted her clipboard. "Detective Martin Deeks of LAPD who is working as a liaison to the OSP section of NCIS."

"Oh." Was all he managed to get out. "Well, I prefer Deeks."

"Well, Deeks, how 'bout you take a seat and tell me what's been going on?" she said kindly as she turned on her recorder.

Still a little hesitant, he sat down, noticing how comfy the couch was. He figured it was to make her patients as comfortable as possible, make them feel at home. Well, it was working.

"Okay, well," he started, trying to find the words. It was hard when all he could hear was the buzz of that drill in his ears as it cut holes in his teeth. "I've been having a lot of nightmares." He finally admitted.

"What about?" she said softly, her voice soothing.

"Torture," he said automatically.

She raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Is this torture that you experienced or—"

"Yes," he said quietly, feeling his legs burn from that stupid poker. "It was three months ago. I started having the nightmares after I was released from the hospital."

"Was anyone else with you when this happened?"

"One of my colleagues, yeah. he was there, too."

"And have you talked to him about this at all?" Dr. Winters asked.

"Um…no, not really. We're pretty different, him and I." Deeks told her.

"Different how?" she inquired.

"Well, we're just…different," he said lamely. "Like he's ex-military," he said, and despite her having security clearance, he still wasn't going to divulge too much detail about his friends.

"Okay, so you don't want to talk to him," Dr. Winters concluded, nodding like she understood. There was a pause. "Look, Deeks, I get that you don't trust me, not really, but you have to if we're gonna get anywhere. If Henrietta sent you, you can trust me."

She had a point. Hetty would never send him somewhere where he, and his teammates', would be put in danger or compromised.

"Okay," he nodded.

"Okay," she agreed. "Now, is there anyone else you're close to? Friends? Family? Other colleagues whom you could talk to?"

_Kensi, _he thought immediately. "Yes. My partner. I haven't talked to her at all though, either."

"Don't worry about that yet," she promised. "What's your partner's name?"

"Kensi," Deeks said, the name as familiar on his tongue as his own.

"Tell me about her,"

Deeks smiled. "Well, first thing you need to know, she can _kick ass._ She's got this affinity for coffee that's bordering on obsession. She loves Twinkies—aw man, you shoulda seen her when she heard that Hostess was going out of business! So the first thing we did was go to the store and buy up as many boxes of Twinkies as we could…"

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

Two hours later, Deeks was walking back to his car, feeling better than he's felt in months. Dr. Winters hadn't asked about his torture or what had happened. She listened to him, just like Hetty said she would. She had left him with homework: talk to Kensi. She had told him to tell Kensi what had happened. Everything, every tiny detail that he remembered about his torture, because it would help. Dr. Winters said he didn't have to carry the burden alone, and since he trusted Kensi so much, it only seemed right that he share it with her. He was nervous about talking to Kensi, but he knew that's what he needed to do.

He climbed in his car and hit sped dial. She picked up on the third ring.

"Hello? Deeks?" Kensi said.

"Hey, Princess," he greeted, grinning hugely. "Sorry about blowing you off for lunch. How 'bout I come by tonight? I'll bring Chinese,"

There was a pause, but Deeks knew it wouldn't take long. Food was the way to Kensi's heart. "Yeah, okay. You're gonna explain today then, right?"

"Yeah, Fern, I'll explain everything."

**So there's chapter 9! One chapter left! And I know this chapter was a little shorter, but the next one will be longer, promise!**

**So, I figured that since torture is such a traumatic event, that Deeks wouldn't just get better right away, so he has nightmares, not quite acting like himself, and all that.**

**Next chapter we'll finally address the elephant in the room =)**

**And there have been questions about a sequel. Well, I realized while writing this that I really enjoy writing for these characters, so yes, I was planning on doing another NCIS LA story =) I don't know when exactly I'll start it, or what exactly it'll be on, but I'm almost definitely doing another story. I do have several other stories in progress right now, so I think I'll pay attention to them for a bit, then come back to write NCIS LA. **

**I'll tell you guys more after I get the next chapter up! Speaking of, it might be a little longer than a week again before I get it up. It'll be longer, so it'll take a little longer to write. Plus, my bday is coming up in a few days and I'll be traveling.**

**Thank you guys for all the support! Please review! So many of you are following the story, so please take a minute to give me any feedback you can! I want to know what you liked, what you think I should change, anything!**

**Thanks for reading!**

**-DaughterOfPoseidon333**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hey guys! Hope everyone is having a good day =) Sorry, I got this chapter up a little later than I planned. But thank you for being patient. It's a nice long chapter, so I hope the wait was worth it =)**

**So here we are. Final chapter. I would like to dedicate this chapter to you guys. I would not have gotten this far this fast if it wasn't for all of you and your mind-blowing support! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! I honestly can't say that enough. Just thank you for all the follows and favorites and reviews; you're all amazing!**

**So, as the biggest thank you of all, here we go…**

**Enjoy!**

Chapter 10

Kensi couldn't spring up from her couch fast enough when the doorbell rang. She opened the door, a grin spreading across her face at the sight of her partner with Chinese take-out in his hands. He smiled hugely back at her; the biggest smile she'd seen on his face in weeks.

"Come on in," she said, stepping aside so he could come in.

He stepped around her shoes, haphazardly piled by her door, and plopped down on her couch. She sat down next to him, watching as he pulled out white containers and set them on her mostly cleared off coffee table. She had attempted to pick up a little, but mostly it had consisted of shoving things on corners out of the way. Kensi licked her lips hungrily as he opened up the food containers, letting the smell of Chinese waft through the air in a delicious perfume.

"I brought all of your favorites," he said with a grin, handing her a pair of chopsticks.

As they dug into their food and sipped the beers she had broken out, Deeks flipped on the television and sat back, as comfortable in her home as in his own.

"Look, Kens," he mumbled around a mouthful of eggroll. "Titanic's on. We could watch,"

"We don't have to," she said, even though she desperately wanted to watch. But if Deeks was going to talk to her about what was going on, she decided that she could turn down Titanic for one night. "You pick what we watch,"

Deeks smiled teasingly. "You feeling okay, Kens? You never, ever turn down a chance to watch Jack and Rose's epic love story."

"Oh, shut up." She muttered. "I'm fine. Now pick something to watch,"

"Alright, alright. Bossy," he said, but his lips were twitching as he tried fighting off a smile. He turned the TV to the channel Titanic was playing on and she looked at him curiously.

He met her gaze and shrugged nonchalantly. "What's one more time watching Jack let go?"

As he turned his eyes back to the screen, silently eating his dinner, Kensi didn't even know how to respond to that. It was just so unbelievably sweet of him. It made her worry all the more about how he'd been acting. But it also warmed her all over; from her head, right down to the tips of her toes, and she could barely keep the smile off her face.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

They had been finished eating for quite some time when the movie started coming to a close. Deeks watched Kensi get all teary eyed, even though it was probably her billionth time watching the movie. He allowed himself to scoot closer to her on the couch, so she could feel his presence next to her without actually touching her, though he desperately wanted to.

As the ship began to sink, so did Deeks' confidence. The night had started off well; he had been all ready to tell Kensi everything. But now, the reality of the situation was beginning to dawn on him. How could he possibly put into words what he had gone through during those three days? Thinking about the torture now made it hard to breathe.

Images flashed behind his eyelids of the white room that held Sam, of big burly men with cruel smiles, of bloody instruments of torture. He could hear the whirring, the constant, awful buzz of that drill, ringing as it carved holes into his teeth. He could taste the bitter, metallic blood that had coated his tongue and mouth and gums for three days straight. He could feel the chafe of metal against his skin when he strained against his cuffs as they cut into him; cut into his body and his mind, and what felt like sometimes, his soul.

"Deeks!"

Deeks jumped, his hand lashing out to grab someone's arm as he was shaken from his reverie. After a moment, he realized he was gripping Kensi hard enough to whiten his knuckles. He immediately let go, a red spot already forming around her upper arm. If it hurt, she didn't say anything. But it didn't make him feel any less guilty. And the guilt only piled on when he saw Kensi's face. She looked worried, curious, and almost a little…scared. _Scared? _Kensi was never scared. But fear was exactly what he saw in her face now.

"Kens…I'm sorry—" he broke off, still breathing heavy from the flashbacks. "Your arm…I'm sorry, Kensi—I didn't mean to—I—"

Kensi shook her head and suddenly he couldn't talk anymore. "It's okay, Deeks. I'm fine. But you're not,"

Deeks couldn't bring himself to meet her eyes. Of course he wasn't fine. He _knew _he wasn't fine. _She _knew he wasn't fine. But even though he knew she could tell something was wrong, he still couldn't bring himself to admit that out loud to her. He didn't want to admit that he needed help because it would bring up memories of Jack; and not the Jack in the movie. The Jack that had left her on a Christmas morning. He couldn't be like Jack. He couldn't.

"Talk to me, Deeks," Kensi urged, almost begged. "You know you can tell me anything, right?"

He nodded mutely as she covered his trembling hands with her own.

"So tell me what's going on," she said. "You said you'd explain…"

"I know," he replied in a low voice. "I know I said I'd explain, and I want to…I just…I can't. I've gotta go,"

Deeks stood, suddenly needing fresh air. He patted his pockets to make sure he had his phone and keys, Kensi watching him, hurt, the whole time as he rejected her for the second time that day.

"Deeks, wait—"

"I've gotta go, Kens, I'm sorry." he looked at her, the guilt nearly drowning him as he saw the hurt in her eyes. "I'm sorry. I'll see you tomorrow."

Kensi didn't try to stop him as he left her alone with a sunken ship, empty food containers, and her own hurt feelings. Once outside, he gulped in mouthfuls of fresh air. The coolness of the night helped clear the last images of his flashbacks away. He paced along the sidewalk by his car, hands shaking. There was no one on the street, but considering it was nearly eleven on a Thursday night, that wasn't that much of a surprise. Deeks was glad though. He didn't need any of Kensi's neighbors thinking he was some deranged weirdo who needed a haircut.

He felt the sudden urge to hit something. He was _just so frustrated. _He was tired of the nightmares, tired of his inability to tell his own partner what he was going through, tired of feeling angry at Sam for not trusting him, even after accepting the older agent's apology. He was tired of the stupid flashbacks, tired of the concerned looks everybody gave him.

Angry, Deeks picked up the nearest hard object, a rock, and hurled it off into the distance. It clattered against a tree and fell into some bushes, causing a dog to bark in a nearby house. Rage still bubbling inside of him, he lashed out with his foot at a metal garbage can on the curb. He kicked it again and again.

"Dammitdammitdammit!" he shouted, denting the metal with his foot.

Finally, the can tipped over, spilling a couple trash bags. Calming his breathing, Deeks bent down and righted the garbage can and put the bulging bags back inside. He leaned over the hood of his car, head in his hands, wishing that he could just sleep. He just needed to sleep, nightmare free. Just sleep.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

Kensi watched from her window as Deeks walked unsteadily outside. In the last parts of the movie she had just happened to glance over at Deeks to see him shaking, his eyes wide with fear, sweat shining on his forehead. She had called his name a dozen times before he heard her. He had grabbed her arm, none too lightly, not recognizing who she was until a few minutes later. It had scared her. He had never lost control around her like that. He hardly ever got angry at her.

She just wanted him to talk to her. But that hadn't happened tonight. He wasn't ready, she could see that. Even more so when he went outside. She watched him pace the sidewalk, his hands quivering with barely controlled anger, clenching every once in a while into fists. Then he threw the rock and started kicking her neighbor's trashcan, cursing and screaming. It hurt her to see him loose control, to see him so powerless against himself.

Then, in a way that seemed very Deeks, he picked up the spilled trash and leaned against his car for a good ten minutes. Then, he climbed in and drove away, and she watched until the red tail-lights disappeared around a corner.

Kensi lifted a hand to cover her mouth, shocked. Her fingers grazed her cheek, and she felt something wet there. She realized, as she drew her fingers away, that there were tears trailing down her face. And they weren't because, even after Rose told him not to, Jack let go.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

The next day, after wrapping up a fairly easy case that involved drug dealers and stupid college students, Deeks went back to Dr. Winters' office. Hetty was still the only person who knew that he was seeing a psychiatrist, even though he had just started seeing the doc the day before.

As he drove, Deeks thought about last night. He had let Kensi down again. He had been all ready to tell her…but the words were harder to get out than he'd imagined. He knew that she would be patient; she would listen, no matter how much he struggled. It was just hard, because every time he even thought about the torture, much less talk about, he froze. So he needed to know how to unfreeze.

Dr. Winters let him in with a kind smile the minute she saw him standing outside her office door. Today, she was wearing perfectly creased trousers and a turquoise button-down that brought out the blue in her eyes. He sat down on that uber-comfy couch and Dr. Winters sat down in her armchair, just like yesterday. There was a recorder sitting on the coffee table in front of them, but there was no clipboard in her hands today.

There was a brief silence before he started blurting out everything that had happened in the last 24 hours.

"So I took your advice and tried to tell Kensi about the torture, but I couldn't do it," he admitted, feeling frustrated all over again. "I flashed back, and then I grabbed her arm, and I just couldn't get the words out…"

Deeks trailed off, twiddling his thumbs nervously, expecting her to be disappointed, but she just nodded understandingly.

"Looks like you passed the first test then," she commented, giving him a sly smile.

Deeks blinked at her. "Test?"

"Yes. An exercise if you prefer." She told him. "With what you're going through, it is nearly impossible to tell someone what you went through without you being ready. I sent you to tell your partner what happened full well knowing that you weren't ready to tell the whole truth yet."

"Okay," Deeks said slowly. "Next time, though, I'd prefer a little warning if there's gonna be a pop quiz."

"No more surprises," Winters laughed.

"So how do I know when I'm ready?" he asked.

"We're going to take it one step at a time," she explained. "First you have to come to terms with your full condition."

"Which would be…?"

"I believe that you are dealing with a minor form of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder." She replied kindly.

Deeks couldn't reply right away. Great. Not only was he going to have to tell Kensi about the nightmares and the torture, he was also going to have to tell her that he had PTSD. So much for not being like Jack. Because right now, he felt like Jack reincarnated or something. How the hell was he going to tell Kensi?

"Deeks?" Dr. Winters said, breaking him from his thoughts.

"Sorry," he mumbled, shaking his head. "Okay. PTSD. Got it."

"That was quick," she commented. "Most people deny it first."

"Well, I guess it makes sense. The nightmares, lack of sleep, the flashbacks, the anger, not being able to forget, those are all symptoms. Will I have to take any medication?"

"Not right now. If I believe you need it later, I'll put you on our prescription, but right now, I think we just need to get you to put this behind you. How did this case affect your team?" Dr. Winters asked, digging out her clipboard now.

"Well, the case had been going on for a while. My teammate, Sam, the one who was with me for the torture, he and his wife were in a pretty deep, dangerous cover. It put us all on edge. And of course, Sam's cover was blown, and we were kidnapped…" Deeks swallowed, skipping over the torture part. "Anyway, we were just all glad when it was over."

"Have any of your teammates talked with you about it, or talked with each other?"

"I haven't really talked to anyone about it, but I know that Sam and his partner discussed it with each other. It's hard going three days without your partner,"

"You and Sam were there together, correct? For the torture?"

He nodded.

"And you said yesterday that you hadn't really talked to him?" she asked.

"No."

"Did anything happen between the two of you before or after the torture that would be affecting your work together now?"

"Well, before we were taken, before he went back undercover, we had to work together, and he said that he didn't trust me as much as he trusted Callen—uh, Callen is his partner." Deeks explained.

Dr. Winters looked at him, waiting for him to elaborate.

"Oh, well…I guess it made me mad. I mean, we've been working as a team for three years now. And I'm not disloyal. I would always put one of my teammates' lives' ahead of my own. Hell, I saved his life right before we were taken. He apologized for not trusting me, but it almost got us killed. About a month after we got out of the hospital, I told him I accepted his apology, but I still feel angry."

She jotted a few notes down, then looked up at him. "Okay, first step to putting this case behind you," she started and Deeks listened eagerly. "I want you to talk to Sam. What I recommend is that while you have a punching bag in front of you while you do talk. If he says something that makes you angry, hit it. If you say something that makes him angry, he'll hit it. But I want you two to talk about what went on there. Remind him that you saved his life. Just talk."

"Okay," Deeks agreed after a minute of pondering her request.

"How about we make this a three-times-a-week thing? Monday, Wednesday, and Friday's?"

"Sounds good," Deeks agreed, and stood. "Thank you."

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

"So why exactly did you call me in an hour early again? On a Monday, no less?" Sam asked gruffly, crossing his huge arms over his broad chest.

Sam looked like he'd just rolled out of bed, with the bags under his eyes. Which, Deeks figured, he probably did just roll out of bed. They were both dressed in their workout clothes and tennis shoes. The gym was empty except for the two of them and the punching bag strung up in one corner.

"Well, to be honest, I'm still pissed at you," Deeks said, holding his ground as Sam stared at him intensely.

"Pissed about what?" Sam asked.

"I'm sure you can figure it out," was all he replied with.

Realization dawned on Sam's face and he looked apologetic and sheepish. But his face changed as he looked down at the padded gloves on his hands.

"So what the hell do I need these for?"

"This," Deeks grabbed the punching bag they had drifted over to.

"We gonna have a contest or something? See who can hit it harder? 'Cause I could kick your ass with just one hand, Shaggy." Sam said.

"No," Deeks replied and explained what Dr. Winters had told him on Friday. Minus the whole part that it was his shrink's idea.

"You come up with that all on your own?" Sam joked.

Deeks ignored him.

"What's the point of this anyway?" Sam asked instead.

Deeks took a deep breath. "Well, the truth is…I'm not doing so great. After the whole…you know."

Sam's features went from joking to serious and concerned in a second flat. The big guy looked sympathetically at him and then nodded in agreement.

"I'll start," Sam volunteered. "I was wrong to say I didn't trust you. You've done plenty for this team, and you _did _save my life, so I'm sorry."

Deeks punched the bag.

"Why'd you hit the bag?" Sam asked loudly.

"I don't want you to say you're sorry," Deeks explained. "I want to know why. Why don't you trust me?"

"I don't trust you because…." Sam hit the bag in frustration. "Because I don't know you like I know G and Kensi. You're different. Being a SEAL…even Kensi was raised in a military family, but you…you're just different. I haven't figured you out yet and it makes me wary."

Sam sighed, looking embarrassed of his admission, but it made Deeks happy, to have somewhat of an explanation.

"During the…torture…you thought I would give up Michelle. Why?" Deeks asked.

"I didn't think you could handle the torture," Sam admitted and Deeks hit the bag.

"Just because I hadn't been tortured before didn't mean I was going to break the minute I got poked with something sharp. She's your _wife, _Sam. I would never do that. Besides," he added. "If I gave Michelle up, Kensi would've been put in danger too."

Sam raised his eyebrows in surprise, a slow smile spreading across his face. And Deeks realized what he'd just said.

"And Callen, too, of course," he added quickly, but it was too late, Sam was shaking his head and laughing.

"Can we just forget what I said?" Deeks pleaded.

"Too late," Sam chuckled. "Just wait till I tell Kensi how worried you were about her. Callen, too."

Deeks just hit the bag so it swung at Sam, who easily put out a hand to steady it.

"Okay, my turn," Sam said, still smiling a little. "I know I talked to G about what happened during those three days, which really helped. Talked to Michelle, too. But what about you? I mean, you said you're not handling it too well,"

Deeks was silent for a moment, looking down at the smooth wood floor. "I haven't talked to Kensi yet, if that's what you mean."

"You can talk to other people." Sam reasoned. "Have you been seeing someone? A professional, I mean? Because I find it hard to believe that you came up with this handy-dandy little exercise on your own,"

When Deeks looked up at Sam, he expected to see a mocking light to his features, but Sam was serious. And concerned.

"Yeah. I've been seeing a psychiatrist, since Nate isn't around, ya know. I've been having a lot of nightmares, not sleeping. And the flashbacks. I'm just not ready to talk to Kensi yet," he admitted.

Sam punched the bag and Deeks looked at him, confused.

Sam shrugged. "You could've come and talked to me. Sooner, anyway."

"Yeah, I know I should've. I don't know. Guess I thought it would just go away eventually. Seems like it's getting worse." Deeks muttered.

They both looked up as they heard other voices, doors opening and closing, more lights turning on, the whole building buzzing to life after the weekend.

"Look, Deeks. It's okay to need help. You're not weaker because of it. Kensi knows that too. And I'm always here to talk if you need it. Let's just not make these early mornings a regular thing, 'kay?" Sam smiled.

"What? Don't want to see my sunny face and golden locks early every morning?" Deeks smiled back.

Sam just shook his head, no snarky comeback. As Sam headed back to the locker room, he turned to face Deeks one more time.

"I never did thank you for saving my life and keeping Michelle's cover intact. So thank you." Sam said earnestly.

"You're welcome." Deeks replied. "Oh, and Sam? I don't mind if you tell Callen al this but…don't tell Kensi, please. I'll tell her myself."

"Yeah, no problem. See you in the bullpen, Shaggy." Sam grinned and left.

Suddenly, Deeks realized that things already seemed better than they were an hour ago.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

Later that afternoon, when Deeks went to see Dr. Winters again, he told her about his success with Sam, and how he didn't feel as angry anymore. Not at Sam anyway. His anger towards Sidorov was a whole nother story.

She asked more about what the rest of the team was like. It felt good not to have to talk about torture or nuclear bombs. Talking about his friends was comfortable and made him smile. They were his family, and he liked sharing funny stories about his family a lot more than he liked talking about how that drill felt in his mouth.

Friday when he saw her, she gave him his next task: have fun. She said that getting out, doing something normal with the whole team would help all of them. It would help to return a sense of normalcy and re-strengthen the bond they had before the case. So Deeks invited everyone out for drinks.

Of course they all agreed when he said he was paying.

Well, everyone but Hetty was coming. When he'd asked, she'd politely declined, giving him a knowing smile. He wondered what she could possibly be thinking about, but he didn't ask.

Sam and Callen showed up first, and the two older agents went to find them a larger table while Deeks waited outside for Eric, Nell, and Kensi. He stood out on the patio. Closer to the building itself were half a dozen tables with umbrellas over them and a low wooden fence strung with white Christmas lights. There was one group of what looked like a group of college boys and girls at one table, but other than that, there was nobody outside except Deeks. Soon enough though, Eric and Nell pulled up in adjacent parking spots, smiling as they climbed out of their cars.

"I won!" beamed Nell.

"Did not!" argued Eric.

Deeks watched, bemused, as they continued to bicker about their race while they approached.

"Hey, guys!" he greeted. "Sam and Callen are inside already."

They nodded and headed towards the bar.

"Oh, and Eric, Nell beat you by half a second!" Deeks called, grinning.

"I told you!" Nell shouted triumphantly.

Eric tried to protest, but Nell ignored him, gloating about her victory.

Deeks smile faded as he realized they were still missing one person; the most important person. Kensi. He scanned the parking lot, not seeing her familiar silver Cadillac. He bounced on the balls of his feet, watching as the last rays of sun disappeared behind the Los Angeles skyline. He whistled, puffed up his cheeks and then blew all the air out, started singing Eye of the Tiger, but still no Kensi. Kensi hadn't said much since last Thursday, after he had to leave her house. He thought maybe she was still mad and wouldn't show up. He glanced back at the bar, wondering what everyone else was doing inside. This was supposed to be team bonding. It wasn't exactly the whole team if he went inside without his partner.

But when he turned back around, there she was.

"Hey," he said, his lips quirking up into an involuntary smile at the sight of her.

"Hey," she repeated back.

She had changed out of the plain white V-neck she had been wearing that day into a shimmery black tank-top. She had traded her ponytail for wearing her hair down in dark, soft waves. Even with just eyeliner and mascara, she was still stunning. She would have been gorgeous without make-up. She stepped closer to him and there it was. Sunshine and gunpowder.

"For a second there I thought you weren't going to come," he admitted.

"Well, for a second it thought that too. But then Nell told me that you were buying so I figured why not?" she smirked, her mismatched eyes twinkling playfully.

"Oh, yeah, of course," he joked. "the second you guys don't have to pull out your wallets, you're all so eager to come have drink."

"Of course," she agreed, smiling, and started heading towards the building.

Before she went in, he grabbed her wrist gently, half expecting her to hit him. But she just turned, curiosity and something else in her eyes. He tried, but failed to figure out the other emotion.

"I just wanted to say that I'm sorry, Kensi." He said softly. "For leaving so suddenly last Thursday."

Her expression softened. "It's okay. Really."

"It's not though," he disagreed. "That was twice in one day that I blew you off. I just… I thought I was ready to explain…but I wasn't. And when I am, you're the first person I'm gonna talk to."

She nodded, and he could tell she wasn't mad anymore.

"Alright," Deeks said loudly, grinning hugely, and reluctantly letting go off her wrist. "enough gloom and doom, Fern. What do you say we go get a beer or two?"

Kensi rolled her eyes, but followed him inside the din of the bar. The building thrummed with life. The smell of alcohol and sweat mixed together. The place was busy, but it _was _a Friday night. Deeks finally spotted the rest of the group in one of those corner booths that could seat six or seven people. Callen was on one end, Sam next to him, followed by Eric then Nell. Kensi slid in next to Nell, leaving Deeks to slide in last next to Kensi. Okay, so maybe it was meant to seat just six people. Sam, with his big fame, probably counted for two people. They weren't squished, but none of them exactly had space either. Not that any of them minded. And that meant that Deeks was seated right next to Kensi, their jean-clad legs brushing up against each other lightly. If Kensi noticed, she didn't say anything.

They all ordered drinks, and Deeks immediately raised his bottle of beer. The rest of his teammates followed suit.

"I would just like to make a toast," he cleared his throat dramatically and Kensi punched his arm, not very lightly. "Okay, okay. Anyway, I would like to make a toast to you guys. I know that the Sidorov case wasn't easy for any of us, and I'm just grateful that we all made it through it. May Sidorov rot forever in that high-security prison cell of his!"

"I'll drink to that," Callen smiled.

"Only wish I would've gotten the chance to arrest him myself," Sam grumbled. "Either that or punch him a few times."

Their various bottles and glasses clinked together and they all took swallows of their drinks.

Their evening got very interesting after that when Eric accidentally let slip that Michelle and Sidorov had kissed. Twice. Sam's eyes squared and Eric looked like he was going to pee himself when Sam glared at him and demanded an explanation. But once Callen got his partner calmed down, they fell into their usual banter. Sam and Callen made fun of Deeks, Kensi joining in too. Eric and Nell made fun of each other, everybody sitting by and laughing as they argued.

"You two are like an old married couple," Callen commented at one point, and both Eric and Nell blushed profusely.

Once their third round was finished, Deeks got up to retrieve another round, and was surprised to see Kensi following him. As they waited for the bartender to get another one of the margaritas Nell was having, Kensi leaned over.

"Thanks for this," she said quietly, giving him a smile.

"For the drinks? Yeah no problem. I mean my wallet is bottomless. And endless abyss. Like a trench in the ocean—"

"Okay, I get it." she snapped, but she was trying hard not to laugh. "Yes, thank you for the drinks. But I also meant thank you for getting us all together. We needed this. As a team, I mean. I think we all were still struggling with the Sidorov case a bit, so just thank you for being a good friend for all of us."

Her expression were sincere, her face open. Her usual walls didn't seem to be as high in that moment. They gazed at each other, his blue eyes boring into hers. For a moment, all the loud voices, the laughing, the tinkling of glasses, the smack of cues against pool balls, it all disappeared. _I could do it. I could kiss her, _he thought. _All I have to do is lean forward—_

"Here you go sir," the bartender said, breaking the moment of bliss Deeks was having.

Kensi looked down, and Deeks swore she blushed, even though he'd never seen her blush a day in his life.

Deeks cleared his throat a little too loudly. "Thank you."

He and Kensi each grabbed half of the drinks and made the way back to their booth.

After their fifth round of drinks, when Nell started getting _way _giggly, they decided to call it a night. Eric had had only three drinks so he drove Nell home in her car, then caught a cab back to the bar to drive his own car home. Callen had ridden with Sam, so Sam gave Callen a ride home. Pretty soon, it was just Deeks and Kensi on the patio outside the bar.

"So," Deeks said, shoving his hands in his back pockets.

"I had a good time tonight," Kensi said, answering his unasked question.

"You okay to get home?" he asked.

"Yes, Deeks," Kensi said, sounding like an annoyed child talking to an overzealous mother on the first day of school. "Believe me, I've had more drinks than this and still gotten home just fine. I'll see you Monday."

She walked back to her car and drove off into the night. Deeks sighed. _Should've kissed her, _he scolded himself. He headed back to his car and drove home. When he finally fell into bed, he didn't go completely without nightmares, but he slept better than he had in weeks. So maybe, just maybe, he was making progress.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

Two weeks later, Deeks was exhausted. They had tackled several long, arduous cases in the past weeks, and he would've liked nothing better than to go home and relax on that Friday night, but he had to go see Dr. Winters. But it was different today. _He _felt different. He could tell that he was close—close to putting this behind him. When he strolled into Dr. Winters's office, she seemed to notice his good mood too. He took a seat, giving her a big smile that stretched ear to ear.

"Having a good day, are we?" she asked, smiling in return.

Deeks stretched his arms up and put them behind his head, leaning leisurely back against the couch. "Yes, actually. I think I'm ready," he told her.

She nodded, like she knew he was going to say that. "I just have one question for you, Deeks,"

"Go right ahead," he invited.

"Are you in love with Kensi?"

Deeks sat up straight in surprise. That was definitely _not _the question he'd been expecting her to ask. He peered at the psychiatrist sure that it was some kind of joke, some kind of shrink-y, Jedi mind trick. But Dr. Winters looked at him, honest curiosity adorning her features.

"_Are you in love with Kensi?"_ he turned the question around in his head. Deeks thought about his partner, his best friend. He thought about her dark, silky locks, those strikingly beautiful eyes of hers, the touch of her lips when he'd kissed her. He thought about how good she looked, even when she wasn't trying. He thought about all the snarky banter they shared on the job, and how much he'd missed it during those three days he'd been strapped to that chair. Thought about the relief, the overwhelming sense of warmth and gratefulness when she'd rescued him. Whenever he saw her, he just felt unbelievably _happy _and all butterfly-y in the stomach. He probably knew more about Kensi and her weird little quirks and habits than he knew about himself. Involuntarily, as he thought about Kensi, his lips curved into a smile.

"Yes," he finally answered. "I'm in love with Kensi."

It felt so good to get those words off his chest. Though, he'd much rather say them to Kensi herself. Dr. Winters smiled and gave a little nod again, probably expecting that answer too.

"That doesn't surprise you, does it?" he said.

"Not at all," she replied, giving a little laugh. "You've talked about her so much in the past month, that I feel like I know her. And it's clear that you two are much more than just partners. Or even friends for that matter. Does she know? How you feel about her?"

"I don't know," he confessed. "I mean, I think so. I kissed her, so I'm pretty sure she knows, but we haven't actually talked about it."

"When did this kiss happen?"

"Right before Sam and I were kidnapped." he answered automatically.

She raised her eyebrows in surprise. "So it's been a while since it happened?"

"Yes," he laughed. "I tired talking to her about it, but whenever I did, she just put up those damn walls…it's been three months since I last mentioned it."

"Well, you said you were ready to talk to her. I think that how you feel about her should be included in that." Dr. Winters suggested.

"Yeah," he said, not quite sure.

"I understand that you're worried that your friendship and your partnership could be jeopardized," she told him.

"Or it won't and we'll end up getting separated anyway because of policy," he muttered.

"Deeks, if I know Henrietta at all, she wouldn't do that. Especially if you two are as good a team as it sounds." Dr. Winters said reassuringly. "and besides, you won't know if you don't try, right?"

"Yeah. I guess so." He gave her a small smile and stood up, reaching out his hand to shake hers. "Thank you for everything."

"Just promise me you'll come by next week and tell me how it all worked out, okay?"

Deeks gave a little laugh. "I promise."

As Deeks headed out to his car, he decided that he needed to make a little pit stop before he headed over to Kensi's. Smiling, Deeks drove back to the office.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

Everyone in the OSP had been gone for quite some time. The building's lights had been turned down to a dim orange glow that matched the sunset outside. Hetty sat at her desk; staying late like she did most nights. She looked up through her glasses, only half surprised to see Deeks walking towards her desk.

"Mr. Deeks," she spoke. "What are you doing here?"

The LAPD liaison shuffled his feet. "I just wanted to say thank you,"

"For what?" she asked, though she had a feeling she already knew.

"For recommending Dr. Winters to me," he said. "She helped…a lot."

Hetty gave him a small smile. "You are quite welcome, Mr. Deeks. I take it things are better now?"

"Much," he replied.

"Does Kensi know?" she asked even though she already knew the answer.

He rubbed the back of his neck, scratched his stubbly beard, stalling. "No. She doesn't. I was actually gonna go—go and talk…to her." He finished lamely.

He looked sheepish, maybe a little guilty, and she beckoned for him to take a seat. He sank into the chair and looked at her.

"Mr. Deeks," she started slowly, folding her hands across her lap. "You are a brilliant Detective and an even better friend. Especially to Kensi. You have gotten through to her somehow. You're the person closest to her. I don't believe that you would ever do anything to harm her or put her in danger. In fact, I believe that you would do anything for her. So don't screw this up."

Deeks gave her a blank look. "Uh…what?"

"Go get your girl, Mr. Deeks!" she said a little louder.

"Wha—oh. Oh. Okay—yeah—I—" he said, understanding crossing over his features. She watched in amusement as he stumbled up and away from his chair.

"Go, Mr. Deeks!" she called again as he headed out. "And don't come back here till you've broken down that wall of hers,"

"Thank you, Hetty!" was all he shouted back and the doors shut quietly behind him.

Hetty smiled to herself and took a sip from her tea.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

The sun had set and Kensi was curled upon her couch. She was still wearing her jeans form that day, but had changed into a more comfortable shirt. It was actually one of Deeks' shirts—an old gray LAPD shirt. He had been over at her house on a different Friday night and spilled beer all over it. She had meant to give it back after washing it, but it just never seemed to have happened. Secretly, she was glad she hadn't or that he hadn't asked for it. It was much too big on her, but it comforted her and it still smelled like him, like the ocean and sand.

She had been catching up on Top Model, half-heartedly sipping a beer, when the doorbell rang.

Figuring it was just the older lady across the street that probably needed help taking her trash out or something, she put on a smile and opened the door and was wholly surprised to see her partner standing there instead, his blond locks looking white under her porch light. Her smile faltered when she saw him, which almost never happened. She _always _smiled when he was around; unless, of course, he was in danger. But other than that…the sight of him always made her happy. Even when he was being annoying. She looked forward to seeing him every morning at work, just so she could smile.

"Deeks," she said, her voice sounding a little strained.

"Hey," he responded quietly, tucking his hands in his pockets. "Can I come in?"

She hesitated. The last time she had let him in, she had been all set to listen only for him to shut her out again.

"Please, Kensi," he implored. "It's important."

She looked up into his eyes; those cerulean blue eyes that made her want to drown in them. She remembered those same eyes looking down at her as he spoke the question _"How's that for communication?". _ She remembered her and Michelle's talk before the rescue mission, how Michelle had promised her to let her walls down. _"It's okay to let someone in, Kensi," _Michelle had said. Well, maybe she could start small by literally letting him in.

She nodded and stepped aside. Deeks kicked off his shoes and made his way over to her couch and sat down. Kensi followed him unhurriedly, flipping off the TV before taking a seat on the opposite side of the couch, tucking her legs underneath her. They sat in silence, Deeks glancing down at his hands. When he looked back up at her, he caught a glimpse her shirt—_his _shirt—and smirked.

"You're wearing my shirt," he commented.

She rolled her eyes. "Thank you, Captain Obvious, I didn't know that."

"I don't see any Rocky Road. You know you get a little crabby when you don't get your daily dose," he said.

"What'd you come over here for, Deeks?" she snapped, coming out a little ruder than she had intended.

His face automatically turned serious, which was a rarity for him. He ran his tongue over his bottom lip nervously clearing his throat.

"I just want to start by saying I'm sorry, Kensi," he said quietly. "I'm sorry that I haven't talked to you about what happened. I'm sorry I've been so distant. I just…I'm sorry."

"It's okay," she whispered.

"It's not though," he half laughed. "I've been kind of a jerk about it. But I'm ready now. Ready to tell you…everything."

Kensi remembered that Thursday night and him kicking the trashcan, kicking and screaming in frustration and anger.

"You don't have to. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to," she said, though she didn't really mean it. She _wanted _him to tell her.

"I want to though," he said. "It'll help. Both of us. Trust me," He paused." Do you trust me?"

"I trust you." She said earnestly.

He nodded. "Okay. Here goes nothin', I guess. Well, after you left, they handcuffed Sam to one of the briefcases of gold and threw in the pool. I went to back him up and they offered me the key for my gun. I took it and I jumped in to save him. When I got him up, they were just there, watching, waiting…"

Kensi listened intently the whole time. Listened about how he found no pulse on Sam and performed CPR. Listened about how the minute Sam was breathing again, they were both knocked unconscious and taken to the warehouse. He told her about waking up strapped to the chair in that hideous room, and how Sam had been in the other room, tied down to their make-shift electric chair.

"It was awful, watching them electrocute him," he said, his eyes staring off into the distance. "That's the worst kind of torture, you know. Watching somebody you care about get hurt."

As he said the last sentence, he looked up at her. _Watching somebody you care about get hurt. _Kensi couldn't summon any words to speak, so Deeks continued. His voice shook as he started to talk about his torture.

"That guy…he—he dug that drill into my teeth. There was all this blood. Just…it was e—" he took a shaky breath. "It was everywhere. All I could taste for three days was blood. He laughed when he did it. He enjoyed it. Every second of it. The first night I passed out, it was too much. I had never been so grateful to be unconscious."

His hands trembled, and Kensi scooted closer to him, reaching out to him. He promptly took her hands, wrapping his around hers, big and warm and comforting. He took a few more deep breaths. She watched his chest as he inhaled and exhaled.

"They hit me a lot," he started again, his voice steadier. "Every time I said something sarcastic, they'd hit me."

Kensi couldn't help it; she gave a small, shaky laugh. "You _are _pretty good at pissing people off,"

He nodded, with a ghostly half-smile, and she knew, somehow, that the worst of his story was yet to come.

"They took turns with me and Sam, but I guess they liked me better or something. They spent more time with me. Probably thought I was weaker." He muttered, his tone slightly joking, trying to lighten the situation. "They burned us. They used that drill on me more. They kept asking the _same _questions over and over, no matter how many times we gave them the same answer."

Deeks wasn't looking at her anymore. His chest fell up and down more rapidly, like he couldn't get enough air.

"They hit me, broke my rib. They broke my fingers. They…they broke _me, _Kensi." His voice cracked. And despite his sudden weakness, he tried to put on a smile, tried to be brave for her.

She reached up and touched his face, a little part of her heart shattering with his words. She cupped his face with one hand, and he leaned into her touch.

"That's not true," she said in a strangled whisper, refusing to let any tears fall. "That's not true at all, okay? They didn't break you. I refuse to believe that."

"I left a piece of me back in that warehouse, Kens. A piece they carved out of me." His voice was flat.

She let her hand fall from his face. She knew how much it was taking out of him to tell her all of this. Part of her didn't want to hear anymore, but she didn't stop listening.

"Kensi, I haven't been the same since it happened. And I—"

"Deeks, stop. You don't have to tell me anymore. You don't have to—"

"I need to tell you though!" he said, raising his voice a little. "I _need _to, Kensi. I need to tell you so I can get better, so I can get as back to normal as I possibly can—" he stammered.

"What do you mean, 'get better'?" she asked.

He looked up at her. "I've been having nightmares. I've barely slept in four months. I felt angry for a while, not quite myself. There's been flashbacks…all signs of…" he trailed off.

"Signs of what?" she demanded.

"You know what, Kensi," he said gently, soothingly, but Kensi wasn't soothed.

She shook her head. She knew. _Of course she knew. _But she shook her head, refusing to believe it.

She pulled her hands away from his, still resting in between them. "No,"

"Yes," he said, and now he was the one comforting her. "They're all signs of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. It's a minor form, but it's still PTSD—"

"No!" she burst suddenly, leaping up from the couch. "No, don't say that, okay? You can't have PTSD, okay? You _can't. _You just can't because—"

"Because of Jack, I know." He said, standing with her.

Kensi felt like he punched her in the gut. He'd never mentioned Jack to her. _Never. _It was like some unspoken agreement. She'd allowed Sam, Callen, and him to hear about Jack, but after that, none of them had brought it up again.

"I've been seeing a psychologist, Kensi. For the past month or so. She told me that I was dealing with a minor form of PTSD, and if I could talk about what happened, it would help." He explained gently.

"Why didn't you tell me this before?" she said, feeling betrayed that he hadn't told her sooner. She could've helped.

"I didn't want to say anything until I was ready to tell you about what happened." He said. "I didn't want you to worry, okay?"

"Who else knows?" she asked angrily. "About the shrink and everything else?"

He looked at her, blue eyes unwavering. "Hetty knows. She's the one who recommended the Doc. Sam knows. I told him it was okay to tell Callen."

"So everyone but me?" she said bitterly. She tried to move past him. She wasn't exactly sure where she would go, but she just needed to be alone, but he stepped in front of her. She could've made him move, but her body didn't seem to want to obey her.

"I know you're mad, Kens—"

"Mad?" she said, incredulous. "_Mad_? Try hurt. I'm your _partner_, Deeks! We're supposed to tell each over everything! How could you keep this from me? Don't _you_ trust _me_?"

"Of course I trust you! I trust you with my life! I—" he took a deep breath. "I didn't tell you because I wanted to wait till I was myself again. I didn't want you to think you had to take care of me. I didn't want to let you down like…"

"Like what?" she asked, calming down.

"I didn't want to let you down like Jack. I didn't want to be like him" he said quietly, his blue eyes boring into hers.

She felt her mouth fall open a little. _"I didn't want to be like him"_. Involuntarily, unwanted memories of her ex fiancée sprang up in her mind. She felt a few tears fall from her eyes, and she ducked her head, quickly wiping them away. God, when had she started crying so much?

"Deeks..." she cleared her throat, hesitantly looking up at him, all of her anger gone. "You are nothing like Jack. _Nothing_ like him. You are a far better man than he ever was."

More tears fell, and this time, Deeks stepped forward so they were a few inches apart. He reached up to cup her face with his hands, using his thumbs to wipe away the salty drops. His hands were so gentle, almost hesitant. Like his hands when he had kissed her four months ago. She felt his hands drop away and immediately missed the warmth they had provided.

"I'm sorry." he said, for what seemed like the millioneth time that night. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I was wrong. Is should've told you. I had a moment of stupidity,"

"Only a moment?" she smirked.

"Ha ha. You're so funny," he mocked. "But you were right."

"Well, you were right, too." She conceded. "I shouldn't have gotten so mad. I understand, not being ready. I pushed too hard, so I'm sorry, too."

As she spoke, Kensi, for some reason, remembered what Callen had told her in the hospital, to ask Deeks what he'd thought about during the torture.

"Hey, Deeks?" she asked.

"Yeah?"

"In the hospital, Sam told Callen to ask me to ask you—" she said, put Deeks held up a hand.

"Okay, slow down and repeat that please," he said.

"No," she said, crossing her arms over her chest. "Anyway, I've been meaning to ask you…"

"Ask me what, Kensi?"

"What got you through the torture?" she asked quietly, looking up at him.

"You really can't figure that out?" he asked softly. "I thought you were an NCIS Special Agent? Can't you figure it out?"

She gave a slight shrug of her shoulders, waiting for him to just tell her, though thinking about it, she had a suspicion of what his answer might be.

He shook his head, smiling a little. "You, Kensi. You're what I thought about. You're the reason I'm alive."

"Come on," she said, her breath hitching. "You're not just alive because of me,"

"I am though," he said, stepping just a bit forward, no more than two inches between them. "You're what motivated me to keep going, to hold on. I thought about that stupid promise you made me make, about not getting myself killed. I kept fighting so I could at least tell you that I didn't die." He grinned.

She let out a breathy chuckle at his attempt to make her feel better.

"I thought about when I kissed you," he said suddenly.

She didn't flinch or get angry, like those few times he'd brought up the kiss after getting out of the hospital. She just met his eyes steadily.

"I just knew," he continued, smiling. "that I was _not _gonna die without getting an answer to my question."

Her brows wrinkled in confusion. "What question?"

"'How's that for communication?'" he grinned, repeating the question he'd said after the kiss that had left her stunned and speechless for the first time in her life.

They were both quiet, simply breathing in the tension filled air. The two inches between them felt like a mile. There was a magnetic pull between them, and before she could remind herself that this was a very stupid idea, Kensi stepped closer to him, closing the gap between them. Deeks didn't move; he simply let her make the move. And that's exactly what she did.

Stretching up, Kensi placed her lips to his. They were soft and warm, just like before. Deeks immediately kissed her back, softly, one hand cupping her face, the other twining around her back to pull her—if possible—closer to him. Kensi had one hand curled into a fist around the fabric of the t-shirt he was wearing; the other was wrapped around his neck, her fingers curling in his blonde locks like she'd wanted to do since they first met, just to see if they really were as soft as they looked. They were. Their lips moved together until it was hard to breath. Kensi broke away just long enough to say: "How's that for an answer?"

Deeks chuckled, his lips against her neck as he held her vibrated through her skin, sending good chills throughout her body. "You answered my question with a question again," he commented.

"Maybe we _do _need to work on our communicating," she told him as he pulled the collar of her shirt aside, and let his lips skim her collarbone.

"Well, if it's any bit as good as this, then I think we'll be okay, Fern." he said and she felt him smile against her skin.

There was a pause, and then they both laughed. Deeks laughed like he had before Sidorov took him and Sam. He wore a huge smile that lit up his whole face and made his blue eyes twinkled. And Kensi knew that the Deeks she knew—the one that made jokes and inappropriate comments and made an idiot of himself just to make her feel better—was on his way back to her.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

_Epilogue_

_1 Month Later…_

Sam figured it out first.

The morning after their first night, Deeks made a bet with Kensi of who would figure it our first. Well, not counting Hetty. They couldn't decide how to tell their teammates and friends, so they let them guess instead. Unfortunately—and unsurprisingly—Kensi won. Deeks had put twenty bucks down, saying that Callen would definitely figure it our first. But alas, it had been Sam.

Deeks didn't care though. His PTSD had all but vanished, save for the occasional nightmare. He could now call Kensi _his, _because he'd broken down her walls.And it was absolutely amazing. They worked together pretty much the same as before. They had a few more petty arguments than before, but there was also more kissing to make up for those fights, so he wasn't complaining too much.

He still thought about the torture once in a while, but it wasn't very often anymore. All he knew was that, even though that part of his past sucked ass, it had also given him a future with Kensi that probably would've taken a lot longer to go after than if that case hadn't happened.

And not just a future with Kensi either.

One day, while finishing up paperwork, Hetty came over and gently placed a folder on his desk.

"What's this?" he asked.

"Well, I thought that if you're dating one of your coworkers," Hetty said, giving him a sly smile. "she might as well be your _actual _coworker."

Hetty turned and walked away, hands folded behind her back, offering no further explanation. But upon opening the folder, he got all the explanation he needed. Smiling, he grabbed a pen, and began filling out the forms that would make him a full NCIS Agent.

**So there it is! The end of Communication Skills! I hope you all enjoyed!**

**Thanks again for sticking with me, and thank you for waiting so patiently for this chapter. Hope it lived up to some of your expectations. I know that I'm pretty proud of how it turned out, so I hope you are too =)**

** About a sequel: I will probably do a sequel. When I start it, I don't know, but when I do, I will probably post an author's note on this story to let you know! **

** PLEASE REVIEW! I **_**really **_**want to know what you guys think, especially on this chapter! So please leave your thoughts, they really mean a lot to me!**

** You guys are all truly amazing! THANK YOU FOR READING!**

** Till next time….**

** -DaughterOfPoseidon333**


	11. AN--Please Read--New Story!

**Hey guys! **

**So I'm going to start by saying THANK YOU, once again, for all the support given to me on this story, it was truly amazing! All the reviews and follows and favorites absolutely blew me away! Just thank you guys so much! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! **

**Down to business now =) So I mentioned a sequel, and I'm in the process of writing in now. The first chapter is up, so look for it. The title is ****The 10 Year Rule****. It's gonna be mostly Densi, but it'll include the rest of the team, because it's not NCIS LA without the rest of the team =)**

**It'll be set before that short epilogue I wrote in chapter 10. The story will mostly follow the ups and downs of Deeks and Kensi's new relationship, so quite a bit of fluff, maybe some action thrown in here and there =) **

**I don't know how long the story will be. My best guess right now? 10-15 chapters is what I'm thinking, but that could change. It will be **_**at least **_**10 chapters. I will try and update as often as I can, but school is starting for me in less than a week, and I'll be pretty busy. So please try to be patient, and know that if I'm not updating, it's not because I don't want to, but because I'm busy.**

**Anyway, thank you guys again for reading ****Communication Skills****, and I really hope you enjoy this story as well! First chapter **_**is **_**up, so happy reading!**

**-DaughterOfPoseidon333**


End file.
